CSI:NY The College Years
by SMackedFan
Summary: An AU fic that begins with our fave characters starting their freshman year at N.Y.U. Mac is still a 'leader', but as captain of the football team! What will happen when they all first meet? Mostly SMacked with D/L, F/A, and Adam/Kendall
1. First Impressions

"**CSI:NY - The College Years..."**

**Chapter 1: First Impressions**

**Description: An AU fic that shows our favourite characters beginning their freshman year of college. How will they all meet, and what events will ensue? Mostly SMacked, with F/A, D/L, and Adam/Kendall.**

**A/N: Okay, here goes chapter one, hopefully I didn't 'steal' any ideas from any other stories, but I've only been on this site for a couple months and as of yet haven't seen any like this, so forgive me if you feel otherwise... And just so you know, although we meet everyone at a much younger age, this still takes place in modern time, so we begin in the fall of 2009. Now go ahead and enjoy ...**

**Also, I don't own any of the characters, as much as I might like to ;)**

It was 6a.m. when Mac Taylors alarm clock started buzzing loudly by his bedside. He let a small groan before swinging his arm over and landing his palm on the 'off' switch. He lingered in the warm bed for a few moments while trying to adjust his eyes to the bright sun that was beginning to peer in through his blinds; causing him to let out another groan as he finally pushed the blanket off his body and sat up onto the edge of the bed.

He rubbed his tired eyes as he pushed himself off the bed and onto his feet, trying to walk through the small and crowded bedroom without tripping over any boxes he had yet to unpack.

Crouching down to a large suitcase that lay on the bedroom floor, he unzipped it and dug through it until he found the items he was looking for. He heads into the bathroom where he splashes some cold water onto his face, then runs his wet hands through his short brown hair, giving it a slightly dishevelled, but otherwise cutely-boyish look. After changing from his pyjama pants into the black running shorts, he makes his way out of the bathroom and back into the living room as he pulls a white sleeveless undershirt over his head and it clings to his toned chest and abdomen.

Stopping at the front door, he effortlessly slips his feet into his well broken in running shoes then grabs for the grey pullover hoodie with the proud logo "N.Y.U." embedded in the cotton fabric.

He quietly closes his door behind him, trying not to wake anyone else on the floor as he walks down the quiet hallway of the dorm.

Once stepping outside into the cool and crisp September air, the bright sun once again pierces his dark blue eyes and he squints as he pulls his legs; one, and then the other; up from behind him to give them a good stretch. After a few minutes, before leaving the front steps of the building he pulls his iPod from the front pouch of the hoodie and slides the earbuds into his ears before wheeling his thumb through the playlists; a smile instantly forming on his lips as he finds an ideal song.

A quick moment later he's well on his way with his morning run, the familiar epic music from a 'Rocky' montage pounding in his eardrums, keeping his adrenaline alive as sweat begins to saturate his skin.

He makes his way through the grounds of the nearly deserted campus; passing very few people; most of which have succumb to the "walk of shame", the inevitably awkward walk back to one's own dorm room after spending the night elsewhere and wearing the now rumpled clothing from the previous evening. He can't help but smirk every time he passes one. This was, after all, what much of college was supposed to be about. Sure you don't read about it in the brochures, but college is a place for experiences, good or bad. Mac however wasn't looking for such an experience; at least not yet. As he continued his run his mind wandered back to a mere few weeks ago and as much as he tried to force his brain to only listen to the music in his ears, instead all he could hear was the conversation he had that fateful night...

"_Mac, come on. You know this is hard for me too, but we have to be realistic about this. In a week I'll be gone away to California and you'll be in New York"_

"_What if I'm not ready to let you go Claire?"_

"_2,778"_

"_What?"_

"_2,778. That's how many miles will separate us Mac. It's not like you can just jump in your truck and come see me for the weekend. The weekend would be over before you even made it there"_

"_But Claire..."_

"_No Mac. I'm sorry, but it would be unfair for me to expect anything from you, and unfair for you to expect anything from me in return. I love you, and you'll always have a place in my heart, but you can't honestly tell me you think this can work out?"_

"_Well we'll still come home for Christmas and in the summer..."_

"_And what happens in between then Mac? I don't want to hold you back from anything anymore than you want to hold me back. I've just had the courtesy of having a lot more time to think about this; and once you do, you'll know in your heart that I'm right"_

"_Yeah, I really wish you would have told me sooner"_

"_Well I wanted to make the most of the little time we had left, and I don't regret it for a second. Do you?"_

"_I guess not..."_

With his mind still enveloped in the conversation going through his mind, he rounded a corner towards the back end of the football field when SMACK! A head-on collision caused him to stumble backwards and fall on to his backside.

"OWWWW! Why don't you watch where you going?" an unfamiliar voice barked at him and he pulled himself up slightly, resting on his elbows as he tried to catch his breath and allow his vision to return to normal, rather than the hazy blur it first offered.

"I'm sorry" He mumbled as he pushed himself up from the grass and dusted himself off. "Please, let me help you up" he offered as he held one hand out to the woman at his feet, and the other still rubbing his eyes.

"Thanks, but you've done enough" she huffed as she pushed herself up.

Her response, not being what he'd expected; as much as he had deserved it; left Mac perplexed and he finally removed his hand from his eyes and allowed them to see the victim of his clumsiness.

"Oh, I'm.... I'm really sorry" he lightly stammered as his gaze fell upon the beautiful girl before him. She was also in her obvious running clothes, a long sleeve tee and shorts that stopped mid-thigh, revealing toned yet slender legs that seemed to go on forever. Her skin was slightly tan in colour, and she had curly brown locks that were tied back in a ponytail, a few unruly strands still hanging at the sides of her face.

"Yeah, you mentioned that already" she threw back at him as she rubbed her forehead that was now throbbing with pain. Eventually she dropped her hand from her head and her fiery green eyes finally locked with the dark and intense blue ones belonging to the handsome young stranger.

"I'm Mac... Uh, Mac Taylor..." he offered his hand to her but gained nothing in return.

"Well Mac Taylor, try and watch where you're going; for both our sakes, okay?" she quickly snapped, then pushed past him, continuing on her run.

Mac gave his head a shake as he watched her disappear from his view; then slipped the earbuds back in and continued on his path once again. The whole way back his mind refused to occupy him with any thoughts other than that of the stranger he had just encountered. Who was she, and why couldn't he get her out of his thoughts?

...

Finally reaching the end of his round trip, Mac re-entered the dorm building but stopped and silenced his iPod as he reached the staircase. He watched for a moment the young man in front of him who was struggling to lug his belongings up the narrow stairwell.

"Can I give you a hand?" Mac asked as he approached him; he was slightly shorter than Mac with shaggy light brown hair and very unintimidating boyish looks.

"Thanks, I'm okay" he insisted as he continued to struggle his way up the stairs with two large duffel bags slung over his left shoulder and a laptop bag in his right hand.

"Clearly" Mac scoffed before grabbing for one of the duffel bags. "ugph!" Mac groaned as he took one of the bags. "What've you got in here? A dead body?"

"No" he chuckled. "Just my whole life packed into two bags. Kind of sad when you think about it"

"Well that's why we all came here right? To begin our lives" Mac stated as they continued up the staircase. "So where's your room?"

"Um... 3A?" Adam mentioned, almost uncertain as his eyes shifted to the ceiling in an effort to remember.

"Hmmmm" is all Mac responded with, a curious smirk growing on his lips.

They finally reached the front door and Adam slumped the bags down onto the floor before fishing the key out of the pocket of his jeans.

"Can't wait to meet my roommate..." Adam huffed as he turned the key. "Probably some pretentious air-headed football jock; ready to make my next 4 years a living hell" he ended abruptly with a heavy sigh as he finally pushed the door open. "Hey, thanks for all your help. I'm Adam by the way, Adam Ross. And you are?"

"I'm the pretentious air-head" Mac quickly countered, extending his hand to a now dumb-founded, mouth-agape Adam. "But feel free to just call me Mac, it's a little shorter"

"Oh... crap" Adam grumbled as he warily accepted Mac's handshake. "I uh... sorry about that. I didn't mean... I mean, I'm sure you..." Adams voice trailed off as did his eye contact with Mac as his eyes now darted nervously around the hallway.

"Hey, don't sweat it" Mac smirked as he reached his arm over to pat Adam on the back; however Adam was quick to cower and cover his head with his arms.

"Whoa, relax; I wasn't going to hit you" Mac assured the frightened young man.

"Sorry" Adam replied as he quickly straightened up. "Old habits die hard I guess" he mumbled as he picked up his bags and they made their way inside.

"Wow, home sweet home, huh?" Adam chuckled nervously as he entered the living room and once again dropped his bags to the floor.

"Yeah, doesn't exactly leave much to be desired huh?" Mac replied with a heavy sigh as they both gazed around the small confines of what would have to be considered 'home' for the next few years.

"So, where you from?" Adam asked as he slumped down onto the small sofa.

"Chicago and you?"

"Nebraska" Adam huffed with a roll of his eyes. "I tell ya, I was glad to kiss that place goodbye"

"Why's that?" Mac chuckled at Adam's response.

"Let's just say there isn't anyone I'm going to miss from that place"

"Well, how about your family, no?" Mac inquired but Adam quickly shook his head.

"Like I said, no one I'm going to miss"

They both sat in complete silence for the next few minutes, Mac now feeling slightly guilty for pushing a clearly sore subject.

"So, what are you taking?" Mac finally asked, trying to steer the conversation into a new direction.

"Computer programming, big surprise, I know, a geek taking computer programming. What about you, what are you here for?"

"You mean besides to play football with my airhead friends?" Mac asked with a chuckle.

"Look, I'm really..." Adam tried to complete his pleading apology but Mac quickly interrupted.

"I'm just kidding, relax. I'll be majoring in forensic sciences. Don't tell anybody, but on the inside, I'm a geek too" Mac replied with a wink, finally causing Adam to somewhat loosen up and offer a quick smile.

"So, do you know anybody here yet?" Adam inquired.

"Nope, 'fraid not. Although I think I already made an enemy this morning" he chuckled. "Long story" he confirmed as he noted the confused expression on Adam's face. "No, I was supposed to go to the football camp back in August, but the day before camp started my father became ill, and... well, I couldn't make it to camp"

"Oh Mac, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"It's alright" Mac quickly shrugged it off before allowing himself to feel vulnerable. He preferred the numbness he had become accustomed to, since losing both his father and his girlfriend practically at the same time, instead. "I'm lucky they still let me into the program, the scout that came to my high school games vouched for me." He finished with a sigh.

"Oh... cool..." is all Adam managed to respond with, unaware of what else he could possibly say. Sympathizing for one's father was not something Adam had the fortune of being able to relate with; his own father being an abusive alcoholic; thus the appeal of an out of state school.

"Well Adam, I'm off to shower then I've gotta head over to meet with the head coach, so I'll see ya around" Mac quickly stood up from his chair and headed to the bathroom, leaving Adam to unpack his things.

...

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Coach Hammerback" Mac began as he approached an older gentleman standing in the hallway outside the coach's office.

"Ah, and you must be McKenna Taylor" the older man responded as he pushed his glasses onto his nose.

"Yes sir. Mac actually..." he corrected him before extending his hand and offering a firm shake.

"Strong grip. Let's hope it's just as strong with a pigskin in it"

"Yes sir" Mac quickly replied, causing the man to nod in approval.

"Very well. I'm coach Hammerback, it's a pleasure to meet you son. Come on in" he gestured for Mac to follow him into the small office and Mac quickly complied.

"Now normally attending camp is mandatory for all of my players..." the coach began as he sunk into his chair across from Mac. "But you came highly recommended"

"Thank you sir" Mac replied with a firm nod.

"And I was sorry to hear about your father"

"Thank you sir" Mac replied again, this time in a softer tone.

"You're father was a military man?" the coach offered more as a question than a statement.

"Yes sir. How did you..." Mac began with an arched brow before being cut off.

"Well, I've never been called 'sir' more times in my life than in the last 2 minutes with you son"

"Sorry sir. Err... Coach"

"Quite alright son. Now let's find you a uniform so you can get out there with the others"

They headed out from the office and down the hallway to the large locker room, decorated in the traditional school colours of violet and white. The coach directed Mac to a locker with the name "Taylor" scribbled on a piece of tape stuck on the top of the locker.

"This one'll be yours" the coach smiled as they reached the locker. "I'll see you out on the field in 10"

Coach Hammerback quickly turned on his heel and whistled happily to himself as he made his way out of the locker room and back towards the hallway. Mac quickly changed into his uniform, anxious to finally return his personal sanctuary, the field. It's where he felt the most confident and never had to second guess his actions.

The moment his cleats made contact with the soft grass he let out a sigh of relief. Finally he could feel completely uninhibited and more than ready and willing to take on whatever challenges would dare to face him.

Football had become an outlet for him at a very young age. An outlet to release his energy, and also one of the few ways he could still connect with his father. Being an established military man, Mac's father was not around for much of his upbringing. However he would be sure to make it home from his tour of duty nearly every Thanksgiving and Christmas, where they would both hover in front of the television set to watch the day's big game. Even as a young child, watching his father get so excited over every play Mac knew that this was something he wanted to do. He knew it would make his father proud, and to him, nothing else mattered. Much to his father's delight he began playing 'pee-wee' football at the age of 8 and continued to progress throughout the levels and eventually became a star player at his high-school in Chicago, where he got the attention of the undeniably beautiful head cheerleader Claire Conrad. The two were inseparable over the remaining years of their high school careers, only recently deciding to sadly part ways as their futures lead them in opposite directions.

...

Time seemed to fly by quicker than usual during the adrenaline demanding practice. Mac however had hardly felt the fatigue that had clearly succumbed some of the other players who were keeled over benches, and guzzling back jugs of water, instead he powered through, much like he always did when he stepped onto the field. After two hours of running drills and play patterns the loud whistle around the coach's neck finally blew for a final time, much to the relief of the players.

"Alright boys, take a knee!" Coach Hammerback yelled into the field. Mac quickly dashed across the field with the others and knelt down at the end of the first row of players.

"Okay, lookin' good out there boys" the coach began sincerely, occasionally stopping to blow bubbles with his gum. "Now, Saturday we play Cornell" he began again, this time in a lively tone that seemed to light a fire under the moments-ago energy ridden crowd.

"Yeah!" they grunted simultaneously, loud enough to cause the ground to slightly rumble beneath them.

"Alright, starters for Saturday..." the coach began again as he brought his glasses up and flipped through the pages on his clipboard. "Starting quarterback goes to... Taylor. Wide receivers, let's see... Messer and... Flack..." Mac's ears failed to hear much more from the coach's speech once he heard his own name called and his attention drifted off. He tilted his head up towards the sky, silently thanking his father for all those Sunday afternoons in front of the television set, and for always pushing him to be the best he could be.

After a few minutes the team returned to the locker room and Mac approached his locker and began removing his equipment.

"Hell yeah, starting wide outs! Woo!" he heard a loud voice approach behind him and he turned to see the two young men celebrating by clashing their helmets together. They each took their place at their lockers which happened to be on either side of Mac's locker. The spiky blond haired and very enthusiastic one to the right of him, and the tall, lean, and at least somewhat reserved in comparison, to the left of him.

"Taylor right?" the blonde one with the unmistakeable thick Brooklyn accent asked as he tossed his helmet onto the top shelf of the locker.

"Yeah, Mac." Mac replied with a firm nod.

"Well I'm Danny, and this LOSER is my buddy Don" he continued with a sarcastic smirk.

"Hey, watch it Messer" Don quickly interrupted with a grin.

"Yeah, or what?"

"Or I'm gonna have to stop datin' your mom, then things are gonna get awkward between us" Don quickly countered with a smirk.

"Oh, think you're funny huh?" Danny replied hastily as he pushed past Mac and playfully lunged toward Don.

Laughter quickly filled the air as the 'locker room antics' began. Boys will be always be boys; and Mac joined in the laughter as well as he watched Don counter Danny's attack with a quick head lock and began tousling his hair.

"Who's the tough guy now Danny boy?" Don teased as Danny struggled to free himself.

"Alright, alright, give!" Danny finally caved and Don laughed as he let go of his grasp.

"See, what'd I tell ya? Loser right?" Danny smirked as he walked past Mac and back to his own locker.

"So Mac, I didn't see you at camp" Don began. "You gonna be ready for Saturday?"

"I'm always ready" Mac stated with impressive confidence.

"Alright, good to hear. I wanna crush these guys. My sister unfortunately dated the quarterback there. Frankie something or other... Real jerk-off this guy... What she saw in him in the first place is beyond me" Flack huffs before slamming his locker shut and heading toward the showers. Flack of course not bothering to elaborate on the sordid details of his family. His sister was in fact his half-sister which he had only met a few years ago. They shared the same father, yet neither of them had ever known the man as he was notorious for walking out on any and all responsibilities that came his way.

"Don's a cool guy..." Danny begins once he's certain Don is out of ear shot. "Just don't mess with sister!" he continues with a chuckle. "She's a real ball buster. Beautiful but deadly"

"Thanks for the warning but I think I'll be fine" Mac replies in haste as he too closes up his locker and heads toward the showers, not knowing of course that he's already fallen victim to Don's sister and her, so far, lack of charm.

****Okay, so what do you think so far? This was just a brief intro to the guys, and we will meet the girls in the next chapter. That is if you want this to continue... Please review and let me know your thoughts :)****


	2. Special Bonds and Broken Hearts

**CSI: NEW YORK – The College Years**

**Chapter 2: "Special Bonds and Broken Hearts"**

**...**

"Oh my God Jess, are you going to be in there all day?" Stella Bonasera huffed as she slumped her back up against the bathroom door, waiting for her roommate to emerge.

"Hey, we can't all be effortlessly beautiful like you" the voice from inside the bathroom began, and Stella couldn't help but smirk. "For some of us, this takes time. Besides, I've gotta look hot for your brother tonight, right?" she teased; now causing Stella's smirk to quickly turn to a frown as she rolled her eyes.

"Ugh, now you really need to let me in so I can throw up..."

Both girls giggled uncontrollably as the dark haired and brown eyed Jessica Angell stepped out of the bathroom.

They had met back in high school and quickly became inseparable. Their mutual love for sports and staying active is what initially brought them together as they became teammates on the school track team; but it was their similar personalities and sense of humour that transpired it into a friendship.

"There, all yours!"

"Finally!" Stella huffed in response as she went to walk past her but Jess quickly grabbed her arm and turned her back to face her.

"Hey, what happened to your head?" Jess asked, noticing the slight bump on Stella's forehead.

"Ugh, some klutz ran into me this morning. Literally." Stella sighed with a shake of her head. "It's nothing, I'm fine"

"You mean there's someone else out there as crazy as you who gets up at 6am to go running? Damn Stell, I hope you got a number at least"

"Very funny" Stella scoffed as she finally entered the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

"You know, you could come out with us..." Jessica began, yelling loud enough for her voice to be heard through the door. "I'll bet Don has some cute friends for you"

"Yeah, meat head football players? No thanks!" she quickly called back.

"You know Stella, not all of them are like... I mean, they're not all... Some guys just..." Jessica's voice continually trailed off as she tried to come up with some reassuring comfort to offer Stella.

"Not all guys are what? Like Frankie?" Stella finished Jessica's thought as she emerged from the bathroom and pushed past Jess, wandering into her bedroom and slumping down on the bed, clutching a pillow.

"You know, you were way too good for that clown anyway" Jessica begins as she flops herself down beside Stella on the bed. "He's not even worth you spending time regretting him"

"Can't help it" Stella huffed. "All that time wasted... Why was I so stupid...? Ugh, I don't even want to think about it. Thanks for trying to get me to come out Jess, but the last thing I need is to meet another cute and charming quarterback with a God complex"

"Hmmmm..." Jess offered, along with a heavy sigh. "What about his friend Danny? He's cute and, well, not a quarterback at least..."

Stella just looked at Jess with a crinkled brow "yeah, not really my type"

"Yeah, I know. Heaven forbid you go for somebody cute and funny that can show you a good time. You've always gotta go for the dark and mysterious type, right?"

"And handsome, don't forget handsome" Stella smirked.

"Right, handsome, of course. Top of the priority list" Jess giggled with a roll of her eyes.

"And not mysterious... I prefer to use the term interesting"

"Well, a lot of good 'interesting' has got you so far" Jess began before quickly stopping herself. "I mean... I'm sorry Stell, I didn't mean to sound... well I just thought you could use some fun, that's all"

"Ugh, I think I'm just going to swear off men for a while" Stella huffed again, before pulling the pillow over her face.

A sudden knock came to the door and Jess instantly shot up from the bed and smiled, then quickly looked back to Stella.

"Stella..."

"Go Jess. I'm fine" she assured her, with her voice muffled through the pillow.

"Are you sure"

"Yes, go and have fun" she demanded, finally sitting up right. "And no, I don't want any details when you get home!" she teased as she playfully swatted Jess in the arm with the pillow.

"Okay, okay!" Jess laughed as she scurried out of the bedroom and to the front door. She stopped to run her fingers through her long brown hair and took a quick breath before reaching for the handle.

"Well hey there handsome" Jess beamed as she opened the door, revealing Don, flashing his million dollar smile that caused her to melt every time she saw it.

"Hey yourself" Is all Don managed to get out before giving into the temptation to taste Jess' lips. "mmmm, strawberry lip gloss?" he asked in a husky tone as he finally pulled apart from her.

"Um, ew you guys!" Stella's voice called out from the bedroom, and Don's face instantly cringed.

"Oh, uh, sorry Stell... Didn't see ya there..." Don called back and Jess swatted his arm, and tried to keep her laughter contained.

Don wandered into Stella's room and frowned as he saw her lying on the bed with the pillow covering her face again.

"Hey, why don't you come to dinner with us? I promise we won't be gross" Don chuckled and then gently tugged the pillow out of her grasp.

"Stella! What happened?" Don quickly gasped as he noticed her forehead. It was only a tiny bump, but Don was instantly concerned nonetheless. He sat down at the edge of the bed to take a closer look, causing Stella to smirk.

"I'm fine, relax!"

"You sure? You want me to go beat somebody up for you? Cuz I'll do it"

"Yeah, I know you will. Really Don, I'm fine, it was just an accident I had when I went running this morning"

Don let out a heavy sigh before responding; "Stell you know I don't like you going out running so early in the morning, there's not many people around at that time and... well you just never know"

"Well if you'd rather, I could go back to running at night"

"You know what, mornings good actually" Don chuckled as he patted Stella's hand. "Just promise me you'll be careful"

"Yes brother!" Stella quickly assured him in a mocking tone.

"So, what do you say? You wanna come?" Don asked again and Stella just shook her head.

"Already tried" Jess piped up and Don noticed her leaning on the doorframe.

"You sure?" Don asked again re-focussing on Stella.

"I'm sure, I'm kinda tired anyway. You guys have fun"

"Alright. Love you" Don simply stated.

"Love you" Stella quickly replied.

"Alright, I guess we better get outta here huh?" Don asked Jess as he stood up from the bed and made his way over to her.

"Night sis" he called out as they made their way out of the bedroom. He looked back and saw Stella offer a quick wave.

"Night. Behave yourselves!" she lightly warned as she called back.

"Don't I always?" Don asked, and not able to hold back his laughter he quickly grabbed Jessica's hand and led her out of the dorm.

Stella couldn't help but let out a smile as she could still hear Jess and Don laughing as they made their way down the hallway; she was glad to see her brother and best friend happy together. It wasn't until this summer that Don had finally worked up the courage to finally ask Jessica out, despite Stella's constant attempts to convince Don he had nothing to worry about.

As unlucky in love as she had been, Stella had no reason otherwise to complain about life recently. It's true her childhood had been far from an ideal upbringing; her father walking out on her mother before she was born and her mother dying when she was just a young child; causing her to grow up in an orphanage. However she was fortunate enough to have one person looking out for her, Professor Papakota; a frequent volunteer visitor at the orphanage who eventually revealed to Stella that he had known her mother. Stella's quest for knowledge regarding her parents eventually led her, with the help of the Professor, to the Flack family where Stella learned of her half brother; Don.

Stella's father had also abandoned all responsibilities to Don and his mother upon hearing the news that she was pregnant with him. Neither Stella or Don had ever met their biological father, but thankfully found each other at the age of 14. The Flack family graciously accepted Stella into their family as one of their own and her and Don quickly formed what is now an unbreakable bond. Don making it his own personal mission to protect Stella from anything and everyone; not that she did, or would ever ask him to; it was just in his instincts to do so.

Unfortunately Don learned there was one thing he couldn't protect her from; a broken heart. He had never seen his sister happier than when she had first met the attractive and charming Frankie Mala. He had transferred to their high school during senior year, and played on the football team with Don. There was something about Frankie that Don just couldn't trust; almost seemed as if he was always putting on an act. Whatever it was, Don couldn't shake the feeling that there was something about him he didn't like. However, Frankie had won Stella over; and without having a concrete reason to disapprove of their dating, Don instead decided to just stay out of it and let Stella do what made her happy. Unfortunately happiness had just recently turned into heartbreak for Stella and Don has yet to forgive himself for not trusting his initial gut instincts.

Stella's phone began buzzing across her night stand and she quickly grabbed for it then rolled her eyes when she began reading the message.

_Stella, looks like we'll be playing you guys on Saturday... I can't wait to see you, I think we should talk. I know I screwed up but... Dinner? Please? xo Frankie._

"Yeah right" Stella huffed as she hit the 'power off' button on her phone before tossing it back up onto the night stand.

She rolled over and looked at her clock, it was only late afternoon but she honestly felt like just curling up into the blankets and going to bed, so that's exactly what she did.

...

"Hey, big Mac! Wait up!" Danny called as he ran to catch up with Mac outside of the locker room.

"What's up, what are you sayin tonight?" Danny began as he caught up. "Don's whipped so he had to go see his girl, but me and the boys were gonna go grab a bite, then hit up this party. You in?"

Mac pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and let out a sigh as he read the display, _'No missed alerts'_

"I don't think so, but thanks anyway" Mac eventually answered without looking up from the phone.

"What, don't tell me you got a girl too?"

"No. Well... no. But... it's just complicated" Mac finished with a heavy sigh as he finally focussed his attention back to Danny.

"Man, I thought Don had it bad. Well if you change your mind, give me a call alright?"

"Alright" Mac agreed, with no real intentions of following through.

Danny gave Mac a quick slap to the shoulder before running off to catch up with the rest of his teammates who were headed in the opposite direction from Mac.

Mac made his way back to the dorm and was exhausted from the day by the time he reached his door. He pushed himself inside and offered Adam a confused glance as he entered the living room and saw him sitting in the middle of the floor completely surrounded by comic books.

"Oh, uh hey Mac... Don't worry, I'll get these all put away I just have to put them in order first"

"Right..." Mac simply states, then looks to the empty duffel bag on the floor. "Hey, is that why that bag I carried weighed a ton? It was really just full of comic books?"

"Um... Maybe?" Adam replied sheepishly, to which Mac just rolled his eyes and let out a slight chuckle.

"Didn't think you'd be back so soon..." Adam began again as he tried to quickly clear some space so there was at least enough room for Mac to get by. "Don't you football guys usually go to parties or something?"

"Well I'm not big on parties I guess. Only go to the after-parties, after a big win"

"Hey, maybe you could get me in to one some time?" Adam asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.

"Get you in? It's not like you need an invitation Adam" Mac replied with an arched brow.

"Yeah..." Adam began with a scoff, but when he realized Mac was being serious he continued in a more genuine tone. "You've never been unpopular have you? Guys like me don't get into parties that guys like you go to. Guys like me get phone calls at 4 in the morning from girls who normally wouldn't give me the time of day, other than to ask me if they can copy my homework, to come to the party just to drive them home because they've had too much to drink" Adam trailed off before finishing his thought and continued on cleaning up his mess.

"Sorry" Mac mumbled as he knelt down to help Adam pick up the books. "There's a game on Saturday. Why don't you come watch and you can come with me to the party afterwards"

Adam nodded with a smile that quickly turned into a chuckle.

"What? What's so funny?" Mac inquired and Adam quickly shook his head.

"You"

"Me?"

"Yeah. Why are you so nice to me?" Adam asked with sincerity in his tone once again.

"Um, because I don't have any reason not to be?" Mac began confused. " Why wouldn't I be nice to you?"

"I don't know, ask my entire high school alumni, I'm sure they could tell you why" Adam huffed as he continued to sort through the comics, refusing to look at Mac.

"Adam, what did I tell you this morning? This is the beginning, time to leave the past behind you right?"

"You're right. Thanks Mac" Adam finally looked up towards Mac and rewarded him with a slight smile.

"No problem" Mac replied with a warm smile then stood up and placed the large stack of comics he had picked up onto the coffee table.

Mac left the room and wandered into his nearby bedroom and grabbed his phone out of his pocket before slumping himself down onto the edge of the bed.

It rang several times before he finally heard it pick up, but he then quickly frowned as he realized it was just the answering machine.

"_Hey, you've reached Claire and I can't get to the phone so leave me a message!"_

"Claire, uh, it's me..." Mac began, then cleared his throat. "I just... just wanted to see how you were doing and... I guess I haven't heard from you in a while so I just thought I'd... Um, never mind, I guess I'll talk to you another time. Good night."

Mac hung up the phone then dropped himself backwards onto the bed and let out a heavy sigh.

"_Get a hold of yourself Taylor!"_ he scolded himself inwardly.

He eventually pushed himself up off the bed and wandered back out into the main room, towards the kitchen in search of something to eat. When he emerged from his room Adam was staring at him with a humoured expression.

"Now what?" Mac inquired as he noticed Adam.

"I thought we were leaving the past behind us?" Adam asked in a slightly mocking tone and Mac quickly arched his brow.

"Sorry" Adam continued. "These walls, they're paper thin. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop or anything. Who's Claire anyway?"

"She's..." Mac began but quickly sighed and shook his head. "Not important" he eventually finished.

"Come on Mac, you can tell me. I told you all about me"

"Really Adam, it's nothing. Hey, are you hungry?"

Adam finally giving up, realizing he would probably never get much of anything from his so far mysterious roommate, nodded his head.

"Well there's not much here" Mac huffed as he closed the refrigerator door. "Let's just go out and grab something"

Adam looked up to Mac, then back down to his array of comic books still mostly sprawled out across the floor.

"They're not going anywhere Adam, they'll be here when we get back. Come on" Mac chuckled as he watched a hesitant Adam finally push himself up off the floor.

...

****So? What are your thoughts so far? Make me a happy writer and click that green button! You know you wanna! Up next, it's game day! We'll meet Frankie, Lindsay and Kendall all in the next chapter! Stay tuned!****


	3. Game Day!

**CSI: New York – The College Years**

**Chapter 3: Game Day!**

****Thanks to all that have reviewed and kept this story alive :) You rock!****

It was early afternoon on Saturday and the gleaming sun was unusually warm for September. Crisp autumn leaves blanketed the campus grounds as the groundskeepers worked at full speed to clear the football field for the days big game.

Mac stood staring intently at the field before him; his mind already planning out the game in his head, although it was still hours away from beginning. Every minute this past week that he wasn't in class or at practice, his nose was deeply buried in a playbook; studying and memorizing every meticulous detail that he hadn't had the chance to practice during the summer camp. He remained in that spot on the sidelines for quite a while, standing tall the entire time; never slouching; a trait he had inherited from his father.

"_Always walk proud Son; you're a Taylor, and that in itself is something to be proud of"_

His father's voice echoed in his head as his mind wandered off to memories of him. Mac recalled that conversation they had after the first loss he had suffered in his football career. He may have only been 9 years old, but he still remembers it as clear as day. The feel of defeat; something he knew then and there that he would not allow himself to get used to. His father never pushed him to be better, but he didn't have to; Mac was quite adamant in doing that on his own.

"Nervous?" A familiar voice called from behind Mac, instantly pulling him from his thoughts.

He turned around and offered a tight smile as he responded "Not really coach; maybe just anxious"

"Anxious?" Coach Hammerback repeated as a question, not sure in which connotation Mac had meant it.

"To win, sir" Mac addressed the coach's obvious confusion and offered a reassuring nod.

"Well that's what I like to hear" The coach began with a half smirk. "And what did I tell you about that 'sir' business?"

"Right, sorry coach. Last time, I promise"

Coach Hammerback couldn't help but chuckle at Mac's sincere and genuine display of obedience towards his authority. _If only all my players were like this;_ he thought to himself.

"Do you know why I chose you as starting QB?" the coach questioned and Mac arched his brow in response. He had just safely assumed it was because he was the best.

"Coach?" Mac finally voiced his inquiry.

"It wasn't just for your talent, although yes, you have more than most" Coach began again. "But you, you have something else..." he continued as he pointed his index finger toward Mac.

Mac stared in confusion, not sure if he was supposed to respond.

"Determination" Coach finally finished his thought. "You're a born leader son. You know the playbook better than 90% of these guys, which is impressive considering you missed camp. The others can take a lesson from you. I could tell the moment you stepped into my office that you weren't in this for the girls, or the popularity, or the parties. You're in the game _for_ the game. Which is why I've decided to make you captain"

"I appreciate that Coach" Mac finally managed to articulate his blank stare into words. "And I'm honoured" he finished with a firm nod as he extended his hand out in front of him.

"I knew you would be" Coach quickly responded with a smile as he grabbed a hold of Macs hand and returned the handshake.

"That reminds me, I left something for you in your locker. Now why don't you get out of here and go join the rest of the boys for some lunch before the game, you're going to need your strength. Well, WE are going to need your strength" Coach corrected himself with a slight laugh and Mac offered a quick smile.

"Thanks again Coach" Mac replied before taking his leave from the field and heading into the building that housed the gymnasium, locker rooms and several coaches offices.

As he stepped into the empty locker room and made his way toward his locker, his blue-grey eyes lit up as they fell upon what the coach had been referring to; a letterman's jacket. It had white leather sleeves with banded wrists, collar and waistband; and his number, 33 was stitched into the left arm. The body of the jacket consisted of dark violet coloured wool; the school's primary colour; and the proud bobcat mascot logo on the left breast with the letters 'NYU' behind it. On the right breast in small italic writing read the name "Captain Mac Taylor".

"Wow" is the only word Mac's brain offered him as he held the jacket up in front of him. His high school never had the budget to afford such luxuries, and he was beginning to think that he'd probably be hanging onto his old black leather jacket for at least the rest of his school career.

Macs phone began vibrating in his pocket and he quickly retrieved it to check his incoming text.

"_Mac, where you at? We're all going to T.J's bar and grill for lunch. I'll pick you up. – Danny"_

Mac checked his watch before replying, ensuring they would in fact have enough time to go somewhere off campus to eat before the game started.

"_I can be in the parking lot outside the field in 5. – Mac"_

He slid his phone back into his pocket then carefully placed his jacket back inside his locker, almost feeling slightly depressed that it was much too warm outside to warrant him wearing it right now. Instead he settled for wearing his jersey over top of his black t-shirt. It had always been a tradition in high school that you wear your jersey on game day, to show your pride, and Mac was hoping the same applied here. He tucked it loosely into his jeans and quickly headed out to of the locker room and to the exit.

He heard the loud rumbling of an engine as he turned the corner heading into the parking lot where he found Danny leaning against his vintage Trans-Am. It was deep shade of red with two black racing strips that started at the hood and travelled all the way over the roof of the car and stopped at the end of the trunk.

Mac sighed inwardly with relief as he approached and noticed Danny too was wearing his jersey.

"Nice!" Danny greeted Mac as he slapped his shoulder. "Game day baby! You ready?"

Before Mac had a chance to answer Danny quickly interjected "I know, I know, you're always ready"

Mac just smirked in response before climbing into the passenger side of Danny's car.

"Nice car" Mac noted as looked around at the jet black leather interior.

"Yeah, she's my baby" Danny gushed as he stroked the steering wheel. "You drive?"

"Yeah, but just a beat up old truck" Mac replied as he nodded his head in the direction of where he had parked it.

Danny followed Mac's glance over to the far corner of the parking lot where he saw the dark blue GMC Jimmy SUV; it had a few small spots of rust, had to be at least 15 years old, and was slightly 'beat up' just as Mac had mentioned.

"Well if it's any consolation, it'll be me asking you for a ride once winter comes" Danny chuckled as he shifted into gear and sped out of the parking lot.

...

Slightly on the outskirts of the campus grounds was a small diner that although was near empty now, would soon be crawling with customers after tonight's game. It was far from fancy; actually rather the opposite; a cheap place with a nice enough atmosphere for friends to get together and have a good time. In the far back corner, as it was their usual table, sat Stella who was joined by Jessica and a few of her fellow cheerleaders. Stella, although athletic enough to pursue it, had never been interested in cheerleading; not her 'thing' was the reason that she had told Jessica on several occasions as she often tried to get her to join the squad. Football games weren't exactly 'up her alley' either, but she had always gone to the games anyway to support her brother who was playing, and best friend who was cheering them on.

"Wow Kendall... Are you serious?" Jess scoffed as she watched Kendall; the slightly taller girl with layered blond hair and light green eyes shovelling french fries into her mouth like it may be her last meal.

"What?" Kendall mumbled through her chewing.

"You disgust me!" Jess began again with a laugh. "How do you eat this crap all the time and stay so damn skinny?"

Kendall just shrugged in response, continuing to stuff the fries into her mouth.

"Just lucky I guess..." Kendall mumbled again.

"I hate you" Jess teased as she rolled her eyes in response.

"So what are you going to order? Glass of lemon water and a packet of croutons?" Kendall quickly replied with a smirk and Jess chuckled.

"Nah, too many carbs in croutons, better just stick to the water" Jess retorted with a laugh.

"Hey, what do you care anyway? You've got your dream man now, eat whatever you want. I'm sure you could be the size of a house and Don would still worship the ground you walk on"

"Alright, well I'll remind you of that when you still have to help throw me up in the air and catch me during practice"

"Right, maybe you should just stick to your usual salad..." Kendall finally gave in, then looked over to Stella who seemed to be off on some distant planet.

"Stella?" Kendall questioned, pulling Stella from her wandering thoughts.

"What?" she quickly replied in shock, not having any idea how long ago she had stopped paying attention to the company surrounding her.

"Why are you so quiet?"Kendall asked with a hint of concern. Not that Stella was ever loud, or certainly not obnoxious, but she had always at least joined in the conversations whenever they all went out together.

"Oh, I was just thinking about something... never mind, sorry. What were we talking about?" Stella asked, trying to get her mind back on track.

Jess looked at Stella with a slight frown and shook her head but said nothing. She knew exactly where Stella's mind had been. After all it was only a few hours from now that she would have to see Frankie again, for the first time in several weeks.

Both Jess and Don had told Stella on numerous occasions that she didn't have to come to the game today; sure it was the home opener, but there would be other games and neither would hold it against her if she wasn't up for going. Stella however refused to let Frankie dictate her life; she would go to the game, and try her best to have a good time too.

It was a pointless battle Jess and Don knew; Stella was stubborn and sometimes too strong for her own good, so once she had her mind made up there was no sense in trying to change it for her. Instead they let it go and won't dare to bring it up again.

...

Danny and Mac reached the T.J.'s parking lot and as they stepped out of the car Danny quickly dialled a number on his phone.

"Yeah, it's me. ... Yeah. Alright, bye"

His conversation was over in a matter of seconds and he shoved his phone back into his pocket and looked at Mac with a curious grin forming on his lips as they stepped up to the doors.

"Well, you ready for your big debut?" Danny asked before they headed inside.

Mac looked at Danny in curiosity, completely unsure of what Danny was referring to.

"What?" Mac questioned further as they remained outside.

"Your big debut" Danny repeated. "As captain!" he finished with a broad grin, leaving Mac slightly stunned, apparently the team had found out about his being named captain before he did.

Before Mac had a chance to respond, Danny swung the doors open, revealing most of the team awaiting their arrival. The boys began hollering and cheering and banging their fists on the tables in celebration for Mac; who was now speechless.

A strong hand landed on Mac's shoulder, giving it a hard shake; pulling Mac out of his brief state of shock.

"Congrats man! Sorry I didn't warn ya, but it was a surprise" Danny quickly offered before Mac suddenly became ambushed by the others. They slapped his back, patted him on the shoulder, shook his hand, and a few even tousled his hair as they all spread their congratulations.

Several minutes later, as the word "thanks" seemed to have lost all meaning after he had said it so many times, the crowd finally started to settle down and Mac took a seat at a nearby table.

"You guys didn't have to do all this" Mac offered as he sat down across from Don and Danny who were grinning with pride.

"Yeah we did Mac" Don began. "You take care of us, and we'll take care of you"

"I'll do my best" Mac replied with a firm nod and warm smile.

"Alright, I'm starving. Let's eat" Danny mentioned as he eagerly started flipping through the menu.

Over the next hour they guys ate, shared a few laughs, and eventually got down to business as Mac started discussing some plays and strategies to which the others listened intently. Being a leader was something that came naturally to Mac; his upbringing forced him to mature much faster than most of his friends his age. His father's constant reminding that he was _"the man of the house"_ while he was away on tours of duty; Mac was no stranger to responsibility.

Whether it was in the level of quiet confidence he always displayed, the determination in his voice as he spoke, or just his overall presence of strength; people had always seemed to gravitate towards Mac, hanging on his every word.

After finishing their latest discussion, Mac looked at his watch and pushed himself up from his chair as he noted the time.

"We better head back" he mentioned to Danny who nodded in response and stood up also.

The rest of the team followed suit as they got up from their tables, paid their bills and headed back outside into the late afternoon sun.

Danny and Mac hopped into the Trans-Am and quickly made their way out of the parking lot and back towards campus.

...

"Alright boys, listen up" Coach Hammerback's voice boomed throughout the locker room as he entered just as the team had finished getting ready to hit the field. They quickly stood at attention, tucking their helmets underneath their arms.

"Now, today's our home opener" Coach continued in a quieter tone. "Today is our first chance to show everyone what we're made of. Today is our chance to remind Cornell what grass and dirt tastes like 'cause we're gonna bury them in the ground, am I right?"

"Yeah!" the team grunted in unison as they raised fists in the air.

"Well let's get to it then!" The coach finished with his hands clapping loudly and the team sprinted out of the locker room and towards the tunnel that would lead them onto the field.

The crowd stood to their feet and cheered wildly as the team headed out of the tunnel and stepped onto the grassy field. Jess and Kendall and the rest of the cheerleaders instantly began into their first routine, invoking even more excitement from the crowd.

...

Stella was pushing her way through the crowded bleachers until she was finally able to find a free seat. She stood along with the other spectators and her eyes roamed the field until they locked with Frankie's. He had been staring at her from the moment she entered the stadium with Jess. He watched her as she made her way to her seat and when her eyes noticed his, he quickly shot her a smug wink and a smile. Stella quickly rolled her eyes at Frankie's gesture and took her seat. Shaking her head she reached into her bag and grabbed a book, pretending to be more interested in homework than the game.

The crowd eventually settled as the game was about to began and they took their seats.

"You always hide behind textbooks at football games, or are you just trying to avoid someone?" An unfamiliar voice came from beside Stella and she looked over to see a young woman with shoulder-length light brown hair and warm brown eyes.

"I uh..." Stella began, then let out a heavy sigh. "Is it that obvious?"

"I'm afraid so. Well, to me anyway, but don't worry I'm supposed to be observant"

"Oh?" Stella inquired further.

"I'm studying to be a journalist" the girl continued. "Working for the school paper right now, which is why I'm here" she finished as she held up her pen and thick pad of paper.

"Wow, you write for the sports section?" Stella wondered as her eyes looked over the petite and cute 'girl-next-door' type young woman.

"I grew up with three brothers" she replied with a slight shrug, acknowledging Stella's growing curiosity.

"Ahhh" Stella responded with a nod.

"I'm Lindsay by the way, Lindsay Monroe" the girl offered, along with her hand.

"Stella Bonasera" Stella replied as she accepted the handshake.

"So, can I ask who you're hiding from?" Lindsay asked as her eyes wandered out onto the field.

"My ex" Stella huffed. "He plays for Cornell"

"Well good, then I'll help you boo extra loud for them" Lindsay chuckled as did Stella, the tension in her shoulders finally starting to ease.

They both looked back down to the field and Lindsay noticed one of the players offering a quick wave from the sidelines in their direction.

"Who's that?" she asked, looking at Stella who hadn't yet noticed him.

"Who's who?"

"There" Lindsay pointed in the direction she was referring to. "Number 14; tall dark and handsome"

Stella laughed as she finally followed Lindsay's gaze.

"What?" Lindsay wondered.

"That's my brother" Stella replied, still lightly laughing as she finally waved back.

"Oh, whoops. Sorry" Lindsay responded, now laughing herself.

...

Danny wandered up next to Don and followed his gaze up to the bleachers and noticed Stella and Lindsay.

"Hey, who's the girl your sister's talking to?" Danny quickly wondered.

"No idea"

"Maybe you could find out for me huh?" Danny grinned and playfully nudged Don.

"Coin toss in two minutes guys" Macs voice called as he approached the other two and they nodded. They took once last look up to the bleachers then headed back to the players bench.

...

"Oooh, Who's the cute blond one? Wait that's not your brother too is it?" Lindsay quipped as she noticed Danny talking to Don and she started rummaging through her papers to find the players roster.

"That's Danny Messer" Stella interjected before Lindsay was able to answer her own question.

"He seems... nice" Lindsay blushed as she watched the two interacting and Stella chuckled.

"He's a sweetheart. Just don't put that in your paper or he'd never forgive me"

"You got it. Off the record" Lindsay told her with a firm nod and a smirk.

As they watched Mac approach she noticed Stella's lips begin to curl into a small grin, but as Stella realized Lindsay was watching her, she quickly looked away.

"Now what?" Lindsay's curiosity had peaked.

"What?" Stella asked, pretending not to be aware of what Lindsay was talking about; her brief exchange with the handsome stranger now fresh in her mind again.

"Don't try and fool me girl. You know what I'm talking about. What's up with Mr. perfectly chiselled bone structure over there? Geez, do you know ALL the guys on the team? I've gotta start hanging out with you more often!" she giggled and Stella smiled and shook her head.

"I don't _know_ him" she corrected.

"Well, my God woman, what's stopping you?" Lindsay quickly asked, laughter consuming her again.

"I don't date football players anymore" Stella huffed in response.

"Well, more for me than right?" Lindsay retorted and nudged Stella with her elbow, and Stella shook her head in laughter.

...

Finally a loud whistle blew, signalling that the game was underway. Mac, along with Danny and Don approached the center of the field for the coin toss. They were met in the middle by a referee and Frankie, as well as two other Cornell players.

"Don" Frankie greeted him smugly as they approached.

"Frankie" Don huffed in response.

"I'm gonna win this one for your sister" Frankie told Don with a grin and Danny instinctively put his hand on Don's chest to make sure he wouldn't lunge across the field at him.

"Alright fellas, lets save it for the game" The referee interrupted and Don finally broke from his glare toward Frankie.

"Cornell, since you're visiting, you get to call it. Call it in the air" the ref instructed as he tossed the coin in the air and in minutes the game was quickly underway.

...

They were in the home stretch of the game; it was the fourth quarter and the score was tied 10-10 with 3 minutes remaining. The sun was beginning to set and the bright fluorescent lights along the sidelines quickly powered up. Stella sat quiet and still; watching with anticipation and anxiety as she clutched onto her sweater she had brought with her. Lindsay, meanwhile was quickly jotting down notes as her eyes continued to dart between the field and the notepad in her lap.

It was Cornell's ball and they continued to make progress down the yard lines; finally it was 4th down and they brought out the field goal team. The crowd watched in silence as the ball was snapped and quickly booted into the air. It flew just a few feet wide from the goal post and the ref blew his whistle, then signalled that the kick was no good. The crowd cheered and rose to their feet as Mac and the rest of the offense took the field.

Mac quickly glanced over to the scoreboard took a deep breath as he continued to make his way onto the field.

"_56 seconds to go, you can do this Taylor" _He told himself as he approached the offensive line and took his place.

"Ready! Set! ...Hut!" Mac yelled and the ball was snapped to him and the seconds on the clock began dwindling down. He ran a few steps backward and his eyes darted down field until he noticed Don to the left side, heavily guarded, and Danny to the right covered by one lone defensive tackle. As the defensive line began closing in on Mac he threw a long bomb down field and the crowd watched in silence again as the ball floated down field toward Danny. Danny was running as fast as his legs could carry him and managed to just get by the defensive tackle as the ball found its way safely into his grasp. Loud cheers and screams echoed throughout the stadium as Danny ran the rest of the way down the field and finally into the endzone.

"BOOM!" Danny yelled as he spiked the ball and the crowd erupted once again in cheers. He was quickly ambushed by the rest of his team as they hoisted him onto their shoulders and carried him to the sidelines. Danny noticed Mac sprinting toward the sidelines and gestured to be let down. They placed him on the ground and he ran over to Mac pulled him into a quick hug and gave him a sharp pat on the back.

"That was a sick throw Mac!"

"Nice catch Danny"

...

"So, you've got my number..." Lindsay began as her and Stella got themselves ready to leave their seats. "I've gotta finish this up and get it to my editor right away"

"Yeah, I'll text you as soon as I know where we're going to be" Stella assured her new friend as they got up and began heading in separate directions.

Stella reached the bottom of the bleachers and looked to find Jess. She eventually had found her, just where she thought she would have; on the sidelines curled up in Don's embrace as they 'celebrated' the big win.

She decided to wait for a few minutes before interrupting, so she remained out of sight, leaning against the side of the bleachers.

"I thought you might come to see me" Frankie's voice called from behind her as he approached and Stella quickly turned around; offering a roll of her eyes as she noticed it was him.

"Fat chance Frankie" She began but he continued strutting towards her. "I was here for Don, and Jess"

"Come on babe, you're not _still_ mad at me..." Frankie began with his famous 'puppy-dog' pout.

"Still mad at you? Frankie, I'm done with you!"

"Look, I made a mistake, and I apologized; I don't know what else you want me to do here Stella. You want me to get on my knees and beg? Fine"

"Oh please Frankie, get up!" Stella scolded as Frankie lowered himself down onto his knees and clasped his hands together.

"Just tell me what I need to do and I'll change. I swear, I'll change"

"It's not what you _need_ to do, it's what you already _did_!" Stella huffed. "Frankie you cheated on me with half of the damn cheerleading squad! And when I called you on it you somehow managed to make me out to be the bad guy!"

"Stella come on, I screwed up, but that was high school, things are different now" Frankie continued pleading.

"Frankie it was two months ago! Ugh, why am I even bothering with you?" she huffed and turned to walk away.

Frankie quickly stood to his feet and grabbed Stella's arm, turning her to face him.

"Now look, you're not being fair; I just want to talk!" he barked furiously at her.

Stella slapped his hand away from her arm shoved him hard into the bleachers.

"Lay your grubby hand on me one more time and you'll never play football again because next time I'll break every one of your fingers!"

Frankie remained with his back against the bleachers; he was well-built and fairly tough but Stella's infuriated actions caught him off guard and all he could do was look at her in shock. Finally, pulling himself together he pushed himself off the bleachers and without a word, stormed off toward the locker room.

****Well this seemed like a good place for a chapter break... Stay tuned for the after party! What's in store for Stella when Frankie has a little too much to drink and comes looking for her? (Stella fans don't freak out, I wouldn't let anything bad happen to her)  
Adam, Kendall, Danny and Lindsay will finally cross paths!  
and Mac gets a second chance at a first impression with Stella****

**  
Thoughts so far? Let me know, hit that green button!!!**


	4. Time Heals All Wounds Or So They Say

**CSI: New York – The College Years**

**Chapter 4: Time Heals All Wounds, or So They Say...**

...

"Frankie, what are you doing man, the bus is waiting for us!" An offensive linemen for Cornell called out as he followed after Frankie who had slipped out the back door of the locker room.

"I'm staying" Frankie huffed as he turned to face his teammate.

"Coach is gonna be pissed Frankie, what do you want me to tell him?"

"The truth. Tell him I'm staying here for the weekend to be with my girl and I'll be there for practice on Monday"

"Frankie, he's not just gonna..." he started again, only to have Frankie quickly silence him by shoving him hard into the brick wall of the building.

"I'm staying!" he growled again before finally releasing his grasp.

"Alright, geez man take it easy!" his teammate huffed as he leaned off the wall, then stormed off to head back toward the waiting bus.

Frankie only grunted in response before reaching into the pocket on the inside of his jacket; pulling out a flask, he took a quick swig then continued to head in the opposite direction.

...

"_Hey, you've reached Claire and I can't get to the phone so leave me a message!"_

Mac sighed heavily as he heard the answering machine pick up yet again; he can hardly remember the last time he had actually spoken to her.

"Claire, it's me again... I guess you're probably really busy with everything going on there but I just wanted to see how you're doing, and let you know that we won our first game tonight. I wish you would've been here, I ... I miss you Claire Bear... Call me okay? Alright, good night"

Mac flipped his phone shut and buried his face in his hands; letting out a frustrated sigh as he sat on the bench next to his locker. The room was quiet and still and he had safely assumed he was alone, as it was nearly an hour since the game had ended and the rest of the team had showered and headed out to celebrate.

"You alright man?" A calming voice began from the doorway and Mac turned to notice Don coming towards him with a sympathetic frown.

"Yeah, of course" Mac assured him with a fake tight lipped smile, not sure what; if anything; Don had heard. "What are you still doing here?"

"I forgot my phone in my locker, had to come back for it; but I could ask you the same thing" Don answered as he sat down next to Mac on the bench.

"Don, I'm fine, really. I was just about to head out actually"

"Mac, come on. I heard you on the phone just now. Who's uh... Claire Bear, was it?"

Mac quickly frowned and turned away from Don, shaking his head.

"I don't want to talk about it" he gently warned in a barely audible whisper.

"Come on Mac, I'm not judging. You should have heard the ridiculous messages I left on my girlfriend's machine when I was at the camp this summer" Don lightly chuckled as he tried to ease the tension.

"I know I gotta be good to her, 'cause that's some prime blackmailing material" Don tried again, and Mac finally let out a small chuckle as he turned back to face Don.

"So, spill. Who is she?"

Mac began into just a few small details regarding Claire and their break-up while Don listened intently.

"I know she's right, it wouldn't work like this. I can see that now, I just... I just wish my heart would catch up with my head you know?" Mac finished with a soft sigh and Don offered a quick smile and comforting hand on his shoulder.

"What do you say we get out of here and head to the party? You could use some fun Mac, and you deserve it"

"Thanks Don" Mac replied, finally rewarding Don's efforts with a small smile as he pushed himself up off the bench and grabbed his new jacket and slid into it.

"Do you have the address?" Don asked as they were about to part ways in the parking lot.

"Yeah, Danny gave it to me. I'll see you in a few"

"Alright" Don nodded as he took his leave and headed for his car. He stopped before letting himself inside and pulled out his phone to type a quick text:

"_Danny; I'm on my way, see you soon. PS – we need to find Mac a girl!"_

He hit send and climbed into his car and headed towards the student housing district where the big party was being held.

...

Mac strolled over to his truck to find Adam waiting for him patiently.

"Sorry I took so long" Mac apologized with a slight frown. "You ready?"

"Yeah, yeah" Adam quickly replied but then gave Mac a questioning glance. "Wait, why? Do I not look ready? Should I change? This shirt is lame right? I knew it..."

Mac just arched a brow and lightly chuckled as he watched Adam as he continued rambling nervously.

"Adam, just relax" Mac lightly scolded, forcing Adam to finally silence his one-sided ranting.

"Sorry, I'm just nervous" Adam confessed with a sheepish grin.

"Gee, I never would've guessed. Look, Adam, don't be nervous, just be yourself and try to have a good time alright?"

"Be myself? But..." Adam tried, only to have Mac quickly interrupt.

"Yes Adam, yourself. The Adam Ross I've gotten to know over the past week. Look, you just need to have a little more confidence in yourself. You're a smart guy Adam, and you're funny, and this isn't your old high school alright? These people don't know you, so just go and show them who the real Adam is, okay?"

"Alright, alright" Adam finally caved as he opened the passenger side door and climbed inside. "But, seriously though, the shirt?" Adam questioned and Mac shook his head as he too climbed inside.

"Adam!"

"Right, never mind. Confidence; got it!"

They headed out of the parking lot and quickly made their way towards the party, Adam finally feeling at least somewhat at ease. He trusted Mac and was thankful to have him looking out for him.

...

By the time Mac and Adam had arrived, the party was in full swing and the guests had already began spilling out onto the front lawn of the house. They headed for the front door and Mac was greeted with congratulatory handshakes and pats on the back while Adam followed closely behind.

Once inside, they went in search through the crowded house for Danny and Don and eventually found them in the main living room of the house. Don was sitting in a large armchair with Jess snuggled in his lap and Danny was standing in front of a small sofa where Kendall sat on one side, along with another cheerleader on the other side. Danny was half way into his story about his touchdown catch as he noticed Mac and Adam approaching.

"Big Mac!" Danny exclaimed with a grin, then threw his arm around Mac's shoulder, giving it a hard shake. "Glad you could make it man"

"Hey, what's up? I'm Danny" he greeted Adam as he noticed him, then extended his hand.

"Adam... Adam Ross" Adam replied nervously as he accepted Danny's handshake.

"Well, any friend of Mac's man..." Danny smiled then focussed his attention back to the girls in front of him.

"Ladies, allow me to introduce you to the man of the hour; Captain Mac Taylor. Mac, this is Kendall and Stacey. Here, have a seat" Danny began as he started shuffling Mac closer to the sofa, eventually pushing him down in between the two girls.

"You know girls, my man Mac here isn't just a football god, he's a genius too. He's studying to be a rocket scientist, aint that right Mac?"

"Forensic scientist Danny" Mac corrected and Danny shrugged in response.

"Yeah, right, that's what I said... Come on Adam, let's go get us all a round" Danny quickly insisted, and before Mac had a chance to protest they were out of sight.

Mac; feeling slightly uncomfortable; quickly looked over to Don for some help, but he was too busy with Jess to notice him. Jess was pushing her fingers through his hair and Don pulled her closer to whisper in her ear, causing her to burst out in laughter and playfully swat him in the arm.

Mac folded his hands together in his lap and stared at the floor in front of him, unsure of what to say to either of the women surrounding him.

...

"Hey, there's the prettiest girl in New York City!" Danny greeted Stella as he walked into the kitchen and noticed her standing alone.

"Very cute Messer; what do you want?"

"What, can't a guy say hello?" he asked, but quickly gave in to Stella's suspicions as she raised an eyebrow in response. "Okay, okay. That girl you were sitting with at the game... who is she?"

"I knew you wanted something. She writes for the school paper, she wrote a piece on tonight's game actually"

"She's into sports? A girl after my own heart..." Danny exclaimed in a mocked dramatic tone as he put his hand over his chest.

"You gotta hook me up Stella, please!" Danny lightly begged, forcing Stella to shake her head in laughter.

"Okay Romeo, relax. You're in luck because she's coming here tonight as soon as she's done with her editor"

"And you'll introduce me?"

"Yes Danny, I will introduce you"

"You're the best Stell! Hey, Don and Jess are in the other room there if you wanna catch up with them. I'm just grabbing a few drinks"

"Thanks Danny" Stella smiled then headed toward the living room.

She rounded the corner and paused as she first noticed Jess and Don canoodling in the corner, then Mac on the sofa with Stacey leaning into him, her hand resting on his shoulder. She watched for only a split second before rolling her eyes and looking away, offering a heavy sigh.

Unsure as to why it bothered her at all, Stella frowned then headed into another direction. She entered the heavily crowded front foyer of the house and began moving her way down the hallway by sliding against the wall as a herd of party patrons stampeded by her in an effort to get to the keg in the kitchen. As she finally reached the end of the hall, she quickly headed up the stairs for some much needed breathing space.

Just as she had scurried up the stairs Frankie had entered the house and noticed her. He pushed through the crowd and began following after her.

...

"You were really great out there today" Stacey began as her fingers danced along Mac's shoulder.

"Thanks" Mac quickly responded as his body slightly shifted with discomfort.

"You got a girlfriend?" she asked in a low tone, almost whispering as she leaned closer towards his ear.

"Uh, yep, sorry" he replied in haste then pushed himself up as he noticed Danny and Adam heading back towards them.

"Hey Adam, do me a favour and keep my seat warm for me" he urged as he slumped an unsuspecting Adam down onto the couch before quickly taking his leave from the room.

"Hey, Mac, come on! Where are you..." Don began to call out but Mac was already out of earshot.

"What was that all about?" Danny asked, looking to Don for answers.

"Beats me..." Don shrugged.

...

Mac headed out into the busy front hallway, out of view from Don and Danny, and leaned against the wall. He ran his hands through his hair then rested them on the back of his neck and let out a heavy sigh. While he could appreciate what Danny was trying to do, he wasn't in the mood for it, neither was he ready. He knew in his heart that things were not going to work out with Claire; being on opposite sides of the country and all; but he couldn't force himself to move on sooner than he was ready to.

Although he felt slightly bad for leaving Adam to his own devices, he figured he wouldn't complain too much about being plunked down in between two cheerleaders, so quickly pushed the guilt to the back of his mind. More and more people continued flooding into the house, and every one of them stopped to offer some sort of greeting to Mac. After a few short minutes Mac was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed by it all and decided he needed a minute to just get away from everything so he headed for the stairs; as they seemed to be the most deserted place in the house.

...

Stella stood leaning against the window frame in the dimly lit study, located at the end of the upstairs hallway. She watched the party continuing on without her down below in the backyard; and it didn't seem to bother her as right now, she'd rather just be alone. She let out a soft sigh as her mind continued wandering in several different directions; _why did she care that Stacey was fawning all over the man she had only met very briefly, and what was it about him that intrigued her? Why didn't she at least say hi to Jessica and Don, was she actually jealous that they're happy? And what was Frankie thinking earlier, did he actually believe his pathetic attempt at grovelling would have any effect?_

She knew exactly what was causing her all this sudden grief and she hated herself for allowing Frankie to get under her skin again. She wanted nothing more than to put him behind her completely; unfortunately for her, he had other plans. It was at that moment that she noticed a familiar reflection in the window.

"Great party, but I was a little upset I didn't get a formal invite" he huffed and Stella quickly turned to face him and rolled her eyes.

"Frankie, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Still not happy to see me huh?"

"Ugh, just get out of here!"

He ignored her request and began to slink towards her instead.

"Frankie, I'm serious. Just go!" she huffed.

"Is that..." she began as he continued to move closer and the wafting scent of whisky started seeping into her senses. "Are you... Are you drunk?"

"What? No... Look, I may have had a couple of drinks but I can handle my own Stella" he tried reasoning, but as he took another step he stumbled slightly and grabbed onto a nearby table to steady himself.

"I can see that" she threw back at him, along with a glare. "I don't want to see you right now, especially not like this!"

"Come on babe, please? Why won't you just give me a chance to explain things?"

"Oh my god Frankie, can we please talk this TO DEATH some other time?"

"Like when?" His voice began calmly, then quickly escalated. "When you don't answer my phone calls, or when you don't reply to my e-mails! When Stella?" He snapped with a furious growl in his tone.

She took a step backwards and was now completely backed against the window. She put her hands down on the ledge of the windowsill behind her as he took a final step closer and was now starting to invade her personal space. Towering over her, he placed his hands flat against the window, one on each side of her, at the level of her shoulders. Refusing to meet his gaze, she quickly hung her head and looked to the floor instead.

"Please Frankie, just leave me alone" she lightly begged in a barely audible whisper.

"I'm not going to hurt you Stella" he began quietly, then took one hand off the window and used his finger to tilt her chin up. "You believe me don't you?"

"Don't touch me" she warned, and he frowned.

"Stella..." he snarled back, the anger returning to his tone once again.

"Excuse me, but I believe she asked you to leave" A strong male voice came from the doorway; much to the surprise of both Frankie and Stella as they both whipped their heads towards the door to see Mac slowly entering the room.

"Hey, why don't you mind your own business? This doesn't concern you!" Frankie snapped.

"Look, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. The easy way is you get to leave the house right now, and walk out of here with at least some of your dignity still intact. The hard way; you refuse to leave, and I give you an even more humiliating beating than I gave you on the field earlier today. Your choice"

...

****Okay readers, now it's YOUR choice! Should Mac **_**show**_** him out, or **_**throw**_** him out? You decide, hit that review button and share your thoughts :) And as always, stay tuned for more!****


	5. Getting Acquainted

****Well, thanks for all those who reviewed last chapter and shared your input, it was very much appreciated :) The votes were very nearly tied, so I've decided to settle on a bit of compromise, so hopefully everyone will be happy with how Mac handles Frankie. And now, on with the chapter...****

**CSI: New York – The College Years**

**Chapter 5 – Getting Acquainted...**

**A/N: All quotes in **_**italics**_** are characters inner thoughts ;)**

...

Stella remained silent, still trapped against the window with Frankie hovering over her; Mac stood on the opposite side of the room and took another step closer as Frankie seemed to be ignoring his initial threat.

"Listen pal, I'm not going to ask you again" Mac began with his voice calm and steady as he took another step closer.

Frankie quickly smacked his right hand against the wall next to the window in anger; causing Stella to jump slightly.

"And I'm not going to tell you again that this doesn't concern you! Now leave us alone" Frankie snarled in Mac's direction; turning only his head so he could keep Stella trapped underneath his towering frame.

"I'm trying to talk to my girl" he continued, this time in a softer tone as he turned his head back to face Stella.

"For the last time Frankie, I'm not your girl!" Stella huffed in response, arms folded across her stomach, and her head turned away from Frankie's gaze.

"Listen bitch, I've said I'm sorry a hundred different ways and I'm _not_ gonna say it again!" he growled in return.

"Alright Romeo, I think it's time to go" Mac began again, his voice still calm as he got closer and placed a hand on Frankie's shoulder to turn him away from Stella.

Frankie immediately whipped himself around and lunged towards Mac, but Mac quickly countered with a sharp hit to the throat, causing Frankie to fall to his knees in an instant; clutching his throat and gasping for air.

"Alright, alright, relax. You're fine, just breathe" Mac instructed calmly as crouched down to Frankie who was trying desperately to catch his breath.

Stella just stood by and watched, with a bewildered expression on her face. Everything had happened so fast, she's not even sure how or why things escalated so quickly. One thing's for sure, she was glad, even fascinated, to see that somebody was actually able to shut Frankie up for once.

But even more confusing, she watches Mac as he places a hand on Frankie's shoulder and assures him that he's going to be okay. Not that she minded at all, it was actually rather relieving. She'd rather not see the two of them brawling all over the floor like a couple testosterone fuelled frat boys; although she's certain that would have been Frankie's approach had he gotten the opportunity. His quiet forcefulness made him all the more intriguing; she thought.

"Are you okay?" Mac asked in concern as he looked up towards Stella; who only nodded in response, completely unsure of what to say just yet.

Mac walked back over to the doorway and peered out into the hall where he spotted a couple of his teammates.

"John, Reggie; could you come here for a minute?" he called out and they quickly made their way over.

"Hey Mac, what's up? What's going on in here?" Reggie asked as he peered into the room to see Frankie still on his hands and knees. His face was beet red and he was coughing in an attempt to get some much needed oxygen to his lungs.

"Mr. Mala here was just leaving us; why don't you guys make sure he finds his way out alright"

"You got it Mac" John replied with a firm nod before he and Reggie made their way across the room to Frankie. They pulled him to his feet and each looped one of his arms around their shoulders as they walked him out of the study and headed down the stairway.

"You're sure you're okay miss?" Mac asked again as he approached Stella.

"Me? I'm fine. I think its Frankie we should be worried about" she scoffed.

"He'll be fine, trust me. Just winded him a bit"

"Where'd you learn how to do that?"

"My dad was a marine... He taught me a trick or two" Mac replied with a slight shrug.

"Oh. Well, you didn't have to do that you know. I mean, I appreciate it, but I can handle him"

"You know, something tells me that I don't have to doubt that one bit. But even still, I thought I could use a second chance at your first impression of me"

"Ahhh, so you went with the much more valiant approach this time, instead of the clumsy awkward one?" Stella quipped and Mac quickly smirked.

"So you do remember me" he responded with a slight laugh.

"A little hard to forget... Besides, I still have the bump on my head to remind me" she grinned as she pointed to the now faint lump on her forehead.

"Oh, right... Again I am sorry about that, but what can I say; I guess I like to make a lasting impression" he chuckled.

'_What am I saying? Am I flirting with her? Get a hold of yourself Mac' _he scolded himself.

"Well then mission accomplished. Twice..." she countered, along with a wink.

'_Oh my God Stella, did you just wink at him? What are you doing?'_ Stella now scolded herself.

"Mac, right?" She asked, now forcing her mind back to reality.

"That's right. Well, glad to see I didn't cause any permanent memory loss" he chuckled nervously.

'_Mac, you idiot; enough with the jokes about nearly rendering her unconscious! Snap out of it!'_

"So," he began again, re-focussing his attention to Stella. "I didn't catch your name"

She opened her mouth to respond but before she had a chance to answer they were quickly interrupted by a frantic Don who came charging into the study.

"Stella!" he called out, slightly out of breath as he reached the room. He marched right past Mac, as if he didn't even notice him and quickly rushed to Stella's side.

"Are you alright? I saw a couple of the guys dragging that bozo Frankie out of here. What happened? He didn't hurt you did he? I swear to God Stella, if he hurt you..." his voice trailed off as he held her face in his hands and forced her eyes to meet his.

"Don, relax. I'm fine, I promise" she assured him as she took his trembling hands away from her face, and gently squeezed them to calm him down.

"What the hell was he doing her Stell?" he questioned further, still having no regard for Mac's presence.

"Oh, you know just the usual grovelling" she huffed. "I'm fine, really. It's no big deal. He's gone now, and thanks to Mac here I don't think he'll be coming back anytime soon"

Don looked at Stella in confusion then turned to face Mac; who was offering his own look of confusion as he watched the two interact.

"Mac? How did you... I mean, how do you... Uh, you two know each other?"

"Yeah, we kind of just ran into each other one day..." Stella piped up; her sarcasm was completely lost on Don, but caused Mac to slightly chuckle.

"Um, okay..." Don began, shaking his head with confusion. "Well thanks I guess Mac; for looking out for my baby sis for me. I owe you one"

Mac again said nothing, just offered another confused look.

"We're 5 months apart Don" Stella laughed; and Mac raised an eyebrow as the calculations in his brain didn't seem to add up.

"Yeah, well, I'm still the older one so I'm always gonna be protective of you no matter what, so get used to it"

"I know, I know. Big brother to the rescue. Got it"

"Damn straight. Now, you're sure you're alright?"

"I'd be better if you stopped asking me that!" she chuckled as she rolled her eyes.

"Right. I'm sorry. Well, we should head back downstairs. I told Danny and Jess to stay down there and wait for me to get back, they're probably worried about you too" he began and Stella nodded in response.

"Thanks again Mac, I appreciate it" Don offered with a handshake and a quick pat on the shoulder as he turned to face Mac.

"No problem" Mac simply stated with a shrug.

"Oh, and by the way Mac," Don started again as they headed out of the room. "I'm sorry about Danny throwing you into the lion's den there earlier with Stacey and Kendall. That was partly my stupid idea. I don't know why, I know you're not that guy, I just wanted you to have some fun"

"No worries Don"

"_hmmm, just what kind of guy is this Mac Taylor?"_ Stella began wondering further...

...

Downstairs the party seemed to have continued on without missing a beat; except for Danny & Jess who waited anxiously for Don's return.

"Frankie..." Danny muttered as he watched Don disappear up the stairs in search of Stella.

"Uh... what now? Who's um, Frankie?" Adam questioned with his eyes darting between Jess and Danny who were clearly worried.

They both seemed to ignore Adam as their gazes remained fixed on the stairwell, waiting for Don's return. Adam shrugged his shoulders then slumped back against the couch, letting out a soft sigh.

"Stella's ex-boyfriend" Kendall answered in a hushed tone. Adam turned toward her and nodded as if he understood.

"Right, of course" he began, then arched his brow in confusion. "And who's Stella again?"

"Wow, okay, Adam is it?" She asked and he nodded.

"Try to keep up okay" she began again with a playful laugh. "Stella is Don's sister. Frankie is her dim-witted, can't take a hint, obsessive loser of an ex-boyfriend"

"Right" Adam began with a firm nod. "So, Stella good, Frankie, bad"

"Yes, very good Tarzan" Kendall laughed as she patted his head.

"Hey, easy on the doo!" Adam urged as he fidgeted with his hair to put it back into place.

"Oh, I'm sorry, does it take a long time to make it look like you just rolled out of bed?" She asked with a pout.

"Actually, yes it does" he scoffed, completely oblivious to Kendall's flirting.

"I'm just kidding. I think it's cute" She finally rewarded him and Adam's jaw dropped slightly as he tried to come up with something to say in return.

A few 'ums' and 'uhs' and a nervous laugh was pretty much all Adam's over excited brain offered him, and he was more than relieved when a few seconds later Don had made his way back to them with Stella and Mac in tow.

"Don, everything cool?" Danny asked as they approached.

"Yeah, yeah. Everything's fine" Don offered with a slight frown, then returned to his rightful place in the armchair and Jess snuggled into him again. "Let's just forget about it for now, alright?" He finished firmly and everyone silently nodded in agreement.

"Alright, great, everybody's fine, I was so worried. Mac can I talk to you for a second?" Adam quickly blurted out, his words running together so fast they were barely comprehendible.

Mac had no time to respond because as fast as the words left his lips Adam was up off the couch and had grabbed a hold of Mac's arm and started leading him out of the room.

They finally reached the hallway and Adam let go of Mac's arm, then nervously shoved his hands in his pockets and let out a heavy sigh.

"Adam, where's the fire?" Mac quickly scoffed. "What's gotten into you?"

"Her..." Adam huffed as he nodded his head in Kendall's direction in the other room.

"Her who?" Mac questioned as he looked around the crowded living room.

"Don't look!" Adam urged; then quickly turned Mac back to face him.

"You're acting like a crazy person, you do realize that right?" Mac slightly laughed, but Adam refused to find the humour in it and offered a quick frown.

"Okay, okay" Mac began with a defeated sigh. "What are you going on about?"

"That girl, Kendall, she... she talked to me Mac. I think... I think she was even flirting with me!"

"Alright, well, first question... what the hell are you doing out here talking to me then?"

"Mac!" Adam huffed, rolling his eyes.

"Right, sorry. Um, okay just relax alright?" He began as he gripped Adam's shoulders.

"Now take a deep breath" He instructed and Adam complied.

"Alright, good. Now, you're gonna go back in there and..."

"What? No Mac, I can't. I don't know what to say, what if she doesn't really like me?" Adam quickly interrupted, his words slurring together again with nervous anxiety.

"Adam!" Mac scolded him, forcing his attention back.

"Listen, see all these people around? These are all the people she _could _be talking to right now, but she`s not. She was talking to you. She's already taken the bait Adam, now you've just got to reel her in. Okay?"

"Right, okay. I can do this..." Adam assured himself with a deep breath.

"There you go. Now get back in there"

"But, what if she was just being nice to me 'cause I'm with you guys?" Adam asked, as his brain offered more uncertainty.

Mac let out a heavy sigh before responding; "Adam, we're going in circles here. I told you earlier to trust me, and you said you would. Now get back in there and talk to her"

"What do I talk to her about?"

"I don't know, do you have any other topics of interest besides comic books?" Mac asked jokingly.

"Video games?" Adam countered.

"Actually..." Mac began. "That might just work..."

"What? Mac, are you serious? That's a horrible idea"

"No, no, I thought I saw..." Mac's voice trailed off as he started peering around the other room.

"Yeah, I did see it. There" Mac exclaimed as he pointed over to the corner in the living room. "How 'bout it?"

"What? What if she thinks it's stupid? I'll look like an idiot" Adam asked, immediately questioning Mac's suggestion.

"It'll be fine. Girls like that stuff too. Claire used to bug me all the time to play it with her. Personally I prefer the real thing, but I'll admit it can be pretty fun"

"So, this is your master plan then?" Adam questioned again with uncertainty in his voice.

"Yeah. Don't worry, you can thank me later. Now go" Mac replied as he pushed Adam back into the living room.

Adam nervously approached Kendall, frequently looking back over his shoulder to Mac who just nodded for him to keep going.

"Tarzan! There you are" Kendall greeted him as he finally made his way back over to the couch and stood in front of her.

Adam chuckled nervously as he tried to bring his gaze up from the floor to look at Kendall.

"I uh..." he began, lifting his head only slightly to look her in the eyes. "I was wondering if... Um, well I don't know if you want too, obviously you don't have to but..." his voice continually trailed off and Kendall flashed a quick smile.

"Adam, what is it?"

"Sorry" Adam began again, clearing his throat. "Did you wanna play Guitar Hero with me?"

"Are you challenging me to a rock duel?" Kendall asked as she playfully arched a brow.

"Um... yes?"

"Oh it is so on! You're going down Ross!" she quickly countered and Adam's face lit up with excitement.

Kendall held out her hand and Adam took it and pulled her up from the couch. Mac watched with a grin as they wandered over to pick up the guitars and continued with their flirty banter as to who would win.

...

"Well at least one of us picked up tonight" Danny pouted as he looked over to Stella.

"She'll be here. Stop being such a mope!" Stella playfully scolded and Danny smirked.

"Hey, look at that, ask and you shall receive..." Stella quipped as she pulled her vibrating phone out from her pocket to read the incoming text. "That's Lindsay now, she says she's almost here"

"Alright!" Danny exclaimed as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

"Down boy!" Stella chuckled at his over excited reaction.

"How do I look?" He asked her as he started pulling at his shirt.

"Daniel Messer!" Stella began in a shocked tone. "Are you seriously nervous about meeting a girl? I never thought I'd see the day..."

"Yeah, 'man up' Messer!" Don piped up.

"Oh hush Don, don't even get me started on what you were like trying to get Jessica's attention" Stella quickly countered and Don's grin immediately turned to a pout as he looked back to Jess who couldn't stop giggling.

"I don't know what you're talking about..." Don grumbled under his breath.

"Mmm hmm, sure you don't" Stella threw back at him with a wink.

"Hey, I thought we were talking about Danny"

"Awww, is my baby embarrassed?" Jess asked mockingly as she squished his face with her fingers.

"Hey, what've I got to be embarrassed about? I got you didn't I?"

"Yes, and you should consider yourself lucky" Jess playfully countered.

"Everyday babe. Everyday" He gushed as he pulled her in for a quick but tender kiss.

"Ah, get a room" Danny quipped and Stella nodded in agreement.

"Stella?" a small voice came from behind them and they all turned their heads.

"Lindsay! I'm so glad you made it!" Stella exclaimed, offering a quick hug.

"Thanks for inviting me. Really beats spending another Saturday night alone in the editing room" she huffed.

"I'll bet. Let me introduce you to everybody..." Stella began as she started going around the small group of friends, telling her their names. When she got to Danny she stopped for a brief moment and offered him a curious grin.

"...And then there's Danny Messer. Danny this is Lindsay Monroe; originally from Montana she's studying journalism here at N.Y.U. And Linds, Danny is from here in New York, he'll be going into sports broadcasting, and he'll probably be following you around like a lost puppy for the remainder of the evening. So... have fun with that, and welcome to the gang"

"Thanks" Lindsay grinned as her gaze remained fixed on Danny.

"How you doin' Montana? I'm Puppy. I mean... Oh God..." Danny's face instantly went beet red as he realised the words that had come out of his mouth.

"Nice one Dann-o" Don quickly muttered as he tried to contain his laughter and Jess swatted his arm.

"Uh, can we start over?" Danny asked, trying to regain his composure.

"Oh please do" Lindsay replied with a slight smirk and Danny smiled nervously.

"You wanna get a drink?"

"I think you need more than one Dann-o!" Don piped up again, only to receive another swat from Jess.

"Owww, will you quit hitting me woman?" Don whined jokingly.

"Keep it up, and that's all the action you'll see from me tonight mister!" Jess quickly countered and Don immediately shut his mouth and frowned.

"Ha! Busted!" Danny gloated and Don had no choice but say nothing in return.

"So Montana, how 'bout that drink?" Danny asked again, he rather liked the sound of his accidental nickname for her.

"Lead the way Puppy" She countered and he frowned.

"That... uh, I didn't mean to say that..." He tried reasoning and she shook her head.

"If you can call me Montana, then I get to call you Puppy" She responded and Danny hung his head in silent defeat.

"_Oh man I'm in trouble"_ Danny thought to himself as he led her out towards the kitchen and tried to get his heart rate to decline to a normal pace.

****Okay, well viewers what do you think of the party so far? Hope you liked how Mac handled Frankie, and all the nervous anxiety and flirting that consumed most of this chapter as our characters got better acquainted... More to come as Danny and Lindsay get to know each other a little better and more SMacked coming at you as well in the next chapter as the party continues. Please review and tell me what you thought! And as always, stay tuned for more!****


	6. Sharing Pasts & Starting New Beginnings

**CSI: New York – The College Years**

**Chapter 6: Sharing Pasts, and Starting New Beginnings**

**...**

"So, broadcasting huh?" Lindsay asked as her and Danny made their way into the crowded kitchen and he passed her a drink.

"Yep" Danny nodded. "My mom always told me I talk so much that I might as well be getting paid for it" he finished with a shrug.

"Well that's sweet... I think" Lindsay chuckled.

"Ah, could've been worse, she could've told me I had a face for radio..." Danny quipped and Lindsay laughed even harder.

"So, what about you?" Danny continued. "You always want to be a journalist?"

"Well, I know I've always wanted to get out of the ever-so-exciting town of Bozeman, Montana and make it to the big city; writing can hopefully give me that opportunity"

"Hmmm, well you know, if you ever wanted to do an article on yours truly; usually I don't do interviews; but for you I might make an exception just this once..."

Danny shot her a quick wink and she laughed in return and shook her head.

"What?" Danny laughed. "This could be a career maker. I mean, I don't wanna brag but..."

"But what? Come on superstar, let's hear it..." Lindsay teased.

"Uh..." Danny began before letting out a heavy sigh. "I... I got nothin'..." He sighed again as he shook his head. "I think I was just trying to trick you into spending more time with me" He offered in truth as he looked at her with uncertainty.

'_very smooth Danny, you idiot'_ he scolded himself inwardly. He didn't know what it was about her that made him so intimidated; normally the only thing that he was better at than football was flirting. She made him nervous, that was for certain. Her sweet innocence, but strong and capable demeanour had an intoxicating effect on him. New York girls weren't like her; at least none of the ones he had ever come across. Not being able to bear the thought of embarrassing himself in front of her further, he decided it was time to take his leave; he safely assumed he wasn't in her league anyway.

"Sorry, never mind. I shouldn't have said that. We should get back to the guys..." his voice trailed off as he went to turn away.

Lindsay quickly reached for his arm and he turned back towards her to see her offering a warm smile.

"What makes you think you'd have to trick me?" She asked and Danny's lips automatically curled into a grin. Her soothing words gave his racing heart a chance to return to a normal pace as he decided to give 'his game' a rest and just take the opportunity to get to know her better.

'_Don't screw this up now Messer'_ his brain reminded him.

"So, tell me more about Montana, it couldn't be all bad"

"Oh, you don't wanna hear about that, it's pretty boring" Lindsay frowned.

"Try me" Danny countered and Lindsay's warm smile returned.

The two eventually took their conversation into the backyard where it was at least somewhat less noisy. Lindsay offering all the highlights of information about her hometown, and family, and just growing up in general in Montana, and Danny listened intently to every word, occasionally offering small tidbits of his own experiences in New York and it fascinated Lindsay how different things seemed here. He told her about things she would never see in Montana, and she did the same with stories from 'back home'.

...

"Stell, Mac; why don't you guys have a seat" Don mentioned, gesturing towards the couch.

Mac looked over to the small couch which Stacey was still sitting in and not wanting to find himself in the same situation a second time, he stepped out of the way and gestured for Stella to have a seat instead.

"You go ahead, I'm fine standing" Mac assured her, and she made her way past him and sat on the opposite end from Stacey.

"There's lots of room" Stella mentioned as she huddled up into the end of the couch.

"I'm fine, really" Mac repeated, and attempted a genuine smile.

"You know what" Stacey began suddenly after rolling her eyes. "Take my seat, I was just leaving anyway!" she huffed as she got up off the couch and disappeared into the hallway.

"Stace! Wait, don't go..." Jess tried calling after her, but it did no use.

"Way to go Mac" Don chided jokingly.

"What'd I do?"

"You're such a heartbreaker Mac" Jess teased and Mac finally let out a small chuckle.

"Hardly" he corrected.

"Don't worry about her, she'll get over it. She's just not used to rejection, as you can imagine" Jess explained.

"And a total dram queen!" Don added, rolling his eyes. "How you manage to put up with her Jess is beyond me. And yeah, no hard feelings Mac, I'm sure she's gone off to pursue her next _victim_ now anyway" he laughed.

"You can sit down now Mac" Jess mentioned. "Stella doesn't bite, I promise"

"Actually babe they already know each other" Don informed her, and she arched a brow as she looked over to Stella who shrugged in response.

"Oh..." Jess responded, as she silently searched Stella for answers with her eyes.

Mac finally took the invitation to sit down and made his way past Stella to the other end of the couch and took a seat. Stella gave Mac a small smile which wasn't lost on Jess.

"Well," Jess began again in a refreshed tone as she pushed herself up from Don's lap. "I've gotta go to the bathroom. You coming Stell?"

"Yeah, sure" Stella replied as she stood up from the couch and her and Jess took their leave and headed towards the stairs.

"You know I'll never understand that" Don began, shaking his head.

"What's that?" Mac inquired.

"Girls. Why do they always have to go the bathroom in packs?"

"Beats me" Mac shrugged.

"Promise me something Mac?"

"What?"

"You'll never, under any circumstances, ask me to go to the bathroom with you" Don answered with a smirk and Mac shook his head in laughter.

"That I can promise you Don"

...

"So, are you going to tell me or not?" Jess asked as she stood in front of the bathroom mirror, running her fingers through her hair.

"Tell you what?"

"What the deal is with you and Mac"

"Deal? There is no _deal_"

"Oh, okay... And that curious little smile you shot him was nothing too right?"

"What? What was curious about it? I was just being friendly"

"Stella please, you're never _that_ friendly to people you don't even know. Especially guys; and a football player nonetheless. Wait a second..." Jess quickly stopped herself. "Don said you two already know each other?"

"I never said we _know_ each other, I said we ran into each other once" Stella corrected, with a small smirk.

"Ran into ea—Wait, is this the clumsy runner responsible for that bump on your head?"

Stella laughed and nodded her head.

"Better not tell Don that part, just to be safe" Jess teased. "How come you didn't tell me earlier?"

"Didn't really have the chance to" Stella shrugged. "Besides, didn't really think I would have to, as I wasn't planning on seeing him again, but thanks to Frankie we did cross paths again and now I'm sure I look like a complete fool" she finished with a huff.

"Frankie? So, Mac had something to do with Frankie being dragged out of the house?"

"He pretty much had everything to do with it"

"And what, you're embarrassed now?" Jess wondered and Stella nodded her head slightly. "Stell, you're tough as nails, anyone who's spent more than 30 seconds with you knows that; but you know it's okay to accept help from other people. I know you don't like feeling over protected, and that you can take care of yourself, but everybody needs a hand now and then"

"You're starting to sound like Don" Stella remarked as she rolled her eyes. She knew Don constantly worried about her, and she never really faulted him for it, but she was used to always standing on her own two feet, and taking care of herself. All the extra attention was a little too much too bear sometimes, and although she would never get angry with Don for how protective he could get, she would constantly feel the need to remind him to relax and not get so worked up over; what seemed to her, but not to him; nothing.

"Don loves you, he's protective of you because he cares so much" Jess gently reminded.

"I know..." Stella whispered.

"Seriously Stella; I'm sure he doesn't talk about it much because he knows how independent and strong you are, but he carries a lot of guilt around with him and it absolutely tears him up inside to see you hurt"

"Guilt?" Stella questioned.

Jess let out a soft sigh before answering, not sure if she should continue or not.

"Guilt" she eventually confirmed. "He hates that you were forced to grow up the way you did. He at least had his mother. I can't begin to tell you the number of nights we've spent up late just talking about it. He has this instinct to take care of you Stell; whether you need it or not. He knows how much you value your independence, and how that makes him seem a little overbearing at times, but he really can't help it. He'd do anything for you Stell"

"He talks to you about all this?" Stella asked, with a fresh tear gently rolling down her cheek as she suddenly felt guilty for always giving Don such a hard time about protecting her.

"Yeah, but don't tell him I told you... Just ease up on him a bit when he goes into 'big brother mode' okay?"

"Okay" Stella rewarded with a smile, as another tear escaped her. "And thanks for taking care of my brother when he takes care of me"

"What are best friends for?" Jess countered and pulled Stella into a hug as she too now began shedding a tear.

"I guess we better get back down there" Stella piped up after breaking away from Jess and wiping the few tears away.

...

Several minutes had now passed by and Don and Mac had carried on with small talk when they suddenly heard familiar laughter coming from the hallway as Stella and Jess made their way towards the living room. They continued toward the two men who glanced back at each other with a raised eyebrow as they both noticed the slightly red eyes; indicating tears had been shed.

"Guess we don't wanna know why they travel in packs" Don shrugged, then left it at that; not wanting to draw any more attention to the two girls who were now clearly over whatever garnered the tears.

"What were you guys talking about?" Jess inquired as she snuggled back into Don's lap, and Stella returned to her spot on the couch.

"Nothing" he quickly answered. "What were you guys talking about?"

"Nothing" she echoed and he grinned.

"Thought as much" he countered and pulled her in closer, offering a deep kiss.

"Do you want to get a drink with me?" Stella quickly asked, turning her attention towards Mac.

"Sure" Mac chuckled, noticing the slight discomfort. He stood up and held out his hand to help her up, but again, as she had done the last time he offered his hand to her, she pushed herself up on her own and they made their way towards the kitchen.

"Now look what you did" Don chuckled, regrettably pulling away from Jess.

"Me? You started it" she countered.

"Yeah, well you're too much for me to resist"

"Oh stop it" She lightly teased, swatting his arm.

"So, did Stella give you anything on how she knows Mac?" Don wondered.

"Just said they had a brief exchange once, other than that she doesn't really know much about him. I'm sure you know a lot more than she does"

"And that's not much" Don frowned slightly. "Far as I can tell he's a pretty stand-up guy, doesn't offer up much information though. But I've got a good feeling about him. Seems genuine enough to me"

"Well you're a pretty good judge of character. I mean you always thought Frankie was bad news and..." Jess began before Don cut her off.

"Please, let's just not talk about him anymore"

"Sorry" Jess quickly apologized, then kissed his cheek. "Who knows, maybe her and Mac will hit it off..."

...

Mac poured two drinks and handed one of the plastic cups to Stella. He opened his mouth to speak but before he got a word out a stampede of eager young men rushed passed them as they grabbed one of the football players, picked him up and flipped him upside down over the keg.

"Oh great, a keg stand, how charming" Stella playfully huffed as she shook her head.

Mac let out a soft sigh, then his eyes darted around the rest of the house, trying to find a place to offer some solitude.

"Come with me" he finally stated, holding his hand out to Stella. This time she took it as he lead her through the maze of rowdy young men.

They headed out into the hallway and then up the stairs, Stella's brain offering a slight hesitation at first, then quickly pushing it aside. She didn't know much about Mac Taylor, but had learned at the very least, he is a gentleman. As they reached the upstairs hallway Mac wandered a few feet down the hall before stopping at a window and pushing it open. He gestured towards the window and Stella offered a sideways glance.

"Come on, it's safe" he assured her as he held out his hand again.

Stella shrugged then took his hand and stepped through the open window and onto the flat rooftop. Mac followed after her, then closed the window not quite all the way, leaving enough room for his fingers to get underneath it to pull it up again when they were ready to head back inside.

Stella took a seat on the rooftop and shuffled down slightly until there was enough room beside her for both her and Mac to lean against the panelling of the house, beside the window.

"How'd you know about this place?" Stella wondered as Mac settled down beside her.

"Needed some air earlier, and this seemed to be the only place in the entire house not occupied" He offered in truth.

"And that's when you heard..." Stella's voice trailed off as she shook her head with regret.

"Yeah, that's when I heard" Mac confirmed. "You don't have to tell me about it you know. Don't feel like you owe me any explanation" he told her as he noticed her sudden discomfort. Being a pretty private person himself, he felt it hypocritical to expect anyone to offer him any feelings or emotions of their own personal life that he wouldn't feel comfortable returning. He respected the privacy of others as he wanted his own to be respected.

"That's it?" Stella wondered.

"What do you mean _that's it_?" Mac echoed her question.

"I mean you're not going to pass any judgement, or ask me how I ever got involved with a guy like that, or tell me that I deserve so much better?"

"No. Why? Should I be saying those things?"

"No" Stella quickly answered. "It's kind of relieving actually"

"Well, who am I to judge you, right? It's obvious you regret whatever happened with him, why rub it in?"

"You are literally a breath of fresh air Mac Taylor" Stella offered with a warm smile as she took in a deep breath of the cool night air; and Mac rewarded her with a smile of his own.

"Well, thank you..."

"Stella. Bonasera." She confirmed as she held out her hand and Mac shook it.

'_Bonasera...' _Mac pondered to himself. _'Half sister? Step sister?'_ Whatever it was he was sure she'd go into more detail when she felt ready to.

"It's nice to officially meet you Stella Bonasera" Mac smiled as he let her hand linger in his. "You're hands are freezing" he noted as he quickly shed himself of his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

"I'm fine, please take your jacket back, or you're going to freeze" she mentioned as she tried to hand it back.

"My sweater is thicker than yours" he countered, pushing the jacket back towards her.

"Well, if you're going to be cold than so will I" she countered once more, dropping the jacket between them.

Mac let out a quick sigh of defeat. "Are you always this stubborn?" he asked with a slight chuckle.

"Are you always this chivalrous?"

"Well, I guess my mother raised me well. Yours must've missed a step" he said jokingly, and their playful banter ended abruptly as his words caused Stella to look away with a hint of sorrow beginning to cloud her eyes.

"Stella? Did I say something wrong? That was just a joke, I meant because it's cold out, and you should have a jacket..." his voice trailed off as he searched her eyes for some kind of response, his heart instantly filling with remorse for his poorly chosen comment.

"No, no, you didn't say anything wrong. I got it, it was funny" She offered with a tight smirk, trying to seem convincing.

"Look, I know I said earlier I wouldn't push anything, and I won't. But I clearly hit a nerve here, and I am so sorry" He began in a sincere tone.

'_way to go Mac, you ass!'_ he cursed himself inwardly. He was still unsure as to what exactly was upsetting about his comment, but knew that if she wanted him to know, she would tell him.

"Will you just slap me upside the head or something, please? Come on, I've got it coming" Mac jokingly begged, causing Stella to let out a small chuckle.

"It's fine Mac, really" she assured him, finally rewarding him with a genuine smile that allowed him to ease slightly.

"Well will you at least take my jacket now? So I don't feel so bad?"

"Mac..." Stella lightly laughed at his genuine remorse. "You don't even know what you're feeling bad about"

"Irrelevant" he quickly countered with a slight shrug and a warm smile as he picked up the jacket and draped it over her shoulders again.

"Thank you" she rewarded him as she pulled the jacket tighter around her.

"Anytime" he assured her.

"So, change of subject. Tell me something about you..."

"Hmmm, well, I'm originally from Chicago..." Mac began as the two of them engaged in some light small talk, leaving out most details that they both deemed too personal to share just yet. Mac found her seamlessly easy to talk to, and he's not sure how or why, but she seemed to be genuinely interested in anything he had to say; and he returned the same level of interest as she shared a few stories with him. The night wore down, as did the party but neither of them were ready to leave just yet. They were having a good time talking about nothing in particular and all sense of time seemed to escape both of them.

...

****Alright, time for a chapter break... Hopefully you're still enjoying this story and all the interactions as the pairings got a little more alone time together. More to come soon, so please review and tell me what you're thoughts are XD****

**Also, fellow F/A fans, check out my new vid :) Lots of great Flack/Angell moments (and no death scenes! lol. Far too depressing!) We must keep Jessica Angell alive, even if only through fanfics and fanvids! The F/A relationship was WAY too short lived! Anyway, enough of my rant, check the vid... As it is most of the reason why I'm so late posting this chapter, I got a little too wrapped up in it, lol. So for that I apologize ;)**

***Note: this site doesn't allow links to be posted, so when copying into your browser, replace (DOT) with an actual . **

**www(DOT)youtube(DOT)com/watch?v=vX9LQMUMOUU**


	7. All Great Parties Must Come To An End

**CSI: New York – The College Years**

**Chapter 7:** **All Good Parties Must Come To an End**

**A/N: Thanks so much for all the viewers, reviews, faves, and alerts on this story! It means a lot :) Now, here by popular demand, a chapter for my fellow SMacked fans! This ones for you! Enjoy!**

...

"Adam Ross, you have been officially OWNED!" Kendall declared as their Guitar Hero battle finally came to an end.

"What? Wait, that last one didn't count, I couldn't get my star power to go off..." Adam pouts and Kendall just laughs.

"Aw, stop being such a sore loser"

"What? Sore loser? It's the truth, I think mine's broken. Tell ya what, we'll do one more round, but we switch guitars"

"I don't think so"

"What's the matter? Afraid of a little competition?" Adam lightly teased.

"No... I just like this one better"

"Come on, hand it over..."

"No"

"Maybe I'll just take it from you then" Adam playfully challenged.

"Ha! I'd like to see you try!" Kendall countered and Adam quickly sprang into action running towards her. She started laughing then quickly turned around so her back was facing him. He wrapped one arm around her waist, holding her captive with her back against his chest; then with his free hand went to unhook the guitar strap.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Kendall pouts as Adam tries to free the guitar strap.

"Well I had to get the upper hand somehow" Adam remarks but before he could say anything further Kendall twisted her neck around slightly and kissed him softly on the lips.

"Who's go the upper hand now..." She whispered against his lips and his grip around her immediately loosened as he dropped his hands to his sides in shock.

Adam could come up with nothing in return, just stared blankly with his mouth half open and Kendall giggled then strapped her guitar back on.

"I won" she teased, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Ok, now THAT wasn't fair" Adam whined as his brain finally offered him a complete sentence, and Kendall just laughed once more.

"This was fun, we should play again sometime"

"Pfff, I'm not playing with you anymore, you're evil" he pouted once more.

"Hey, I had to get the upper hand somehow" She echoed his words from earlier then turned away from him to put the guitar back in its place.

"You got a lot more than that" Adam quietly mumbled as he held his hand over his rapidly beating heart.

"What was that?" Kendall asked, turning back to face him.

"Uh, I said we should get back" Adam quickly recovered. "To the other guys I mean..."

"Yeah, I guess you're right" Kendall nodded before turning off the T.V. and leading Adam over to the back part of the living room where Jess and Don were still snuggled into the armchair.

"Hey guys" Jess greeted them as they approached.

"Hey... where is everybody?" Kendall questioned as she looked over to the couch and saw a couple unfamiliar faces.

"Danny's off with some girl" Don mentioned with a shrug.

"Lindsay" Jess corrected.

"Where's Mac?" Adam wondered.

"Not sure, last I saw he was going to get a drink with Stella. I think they're with Danny and Lindsay" Jess began just as Danny and Lindsay rounded the corner to join them in the living room.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Danny greeted them as he entered the room, his hand firmly linked with Lindsay's.

"Hey" Jess greeted them. "Aren't Mac and Stella with you two?"

"Nah, haven't seen 'em" Danny shrugged.

"Interesting..." Jess commented in an amused tone.

"Nevermind _interesting_" Don lightly scolded.

"Oh just relax babe. Stella's a big girl, and you said yourself Mac is a good guy. I'm sure wherever they are and whatever they're doing it's perfectly innocent"

"Maybe I should call her, just to make sure she's okay..." Don began as he reached for his phone.

"Call who?" Stella's voice called out as her and Mac wandered into the living room.

"Nobody" Don quickly replied with a slight frown.

"Donald Flack, you weren't checking up on me were you?" Stella playfully scolded him.

"What me? I wouldn't dream of it" he scoffed, and Stella shook her head and chuckled.

"Well, I guess it's about time we got out of here huh?" Jess mentioned as she pushed herself up from Don's lap.

...

"So, can I take you home Montana?" Danny asked as he and Lindsay slowly made their way towards the door, neither wanting to let go of the other's hand.

"Sure" She rewarded him with a warm smile. He led her out to his car and she stopped in front of it, letting go of his hand.

"Is this your car?"

"Yep, this is my baby"

"A '69 Trans Am? Are you kidding me?" Lindsay asked in shock.

"What? Don't tell me you know your way around a car too, 'cause I don't know if I can handle you being anymore amazing than you already are"

Lindsay was hardly listening to him and so didn't respond and just began running her hand across the hood of the car.

"This was the first year they introduced the rear spoiler to the Trans Am" Lindsay began as she continued making her way around the car and started rattling off specific details of the car; Danny just standing back and watching in astonishment.

As she finally made it all the way around the car and back to Danny she looked up at him in amusement as he stood in front of her with his mouth half open.

"What?" she asked with a slight laugh.

"Uh, nothing" Danny answered, shaking his head. "I was just wondering if it was too soon to ask you to marry me"

"Maybe we should just stick with the ride home for now" Lindsay playfully countered and Danny smirked.

"Fine..." He expressed with mocked hurt, then led her over to the passenger side, opening the door for her to get inside.

The rest of the crew made their way outside; Don telling Jess, Kendall, and Stella that he would take them home.

"Here" Stella began, stopping on the front steps of the house and handing Mac's jacket back to him. "Thanks for lending it to me"

"Of course" Mac replied with a warm smile. "Looks better on you anyway" he offered with a smirk.

'_Did you seriously just pull that line Mac?'_ He quickly cursed himself inwardly. He didn't know what it was, but something about her brought his playful flirtatious side out that he thought he'd long forgotten about.

"Well that's your opinion, I'd beg to differ" Stella countered with a wink, pulling him from his inner monologue.

'_Enough with the winking, what are we twelve?'_ Stella was now cursing herself.

"Well Mac," she quickly recovered herself from her thoughts, "it's been... interesting"

"Interesting huh? I'll take it" He replied with a shrug. "Goodnight Stella"

"Goodnight Mac" she offered with one last smile before turning away and heading towards the car where Don, Jess, and Kendall were waiting.

Mac quickly looked around for Adam and finally spotted him; holding the car door open for Kendall, saying a quick goodnight before heading over to Mac's truck.

"Great party!" Adam exclaimed as Mac met him at the truck.

"Yeah, you looked like you had a pretty good time" Mac mentioned as they climbed inside.

"Hey nevermind me, what about you hooking up with that one dude's sister?" Adam chuckled and Mac turned to look at Adam with a less than amused expression.

"Hey, we didn't _hook up_ alright?" He corrected in a firm tone.

"Alright, alright. Relax bro, it was just a joke" Adam quickly defended himself.

"Sorry" Mac frowned. "It's just... she's just a friend alright?" Mac added, this time in a softer tone.

"Friends. Got it" Adam nodded, not daring to push the subject any further.

Mac let out a soft sigh then started the truck and headed them back towards the dorm.

"Well _I_ had an awesome time with Kendall" Adam began again, changing the subject.

Mac's mood lightened as he listened to Adam go on about his time spent with Kendall and he was glad to see him finally enjoying himself and embracing life. Adam talked Mac's ear off the entire ride back, and it didn't bother him a bit, he was happy to listen; and the more Adam talked, the less he would have to; he figured.

They finally reach the dorm, and both exhausted from the day's events head straight to their separate rooms to get ready for bed.

Adam lets himself fall backwards onto his bed then replays the evening in his head, a silly smile plastered on his face the whole time.

"I think I'm going to like New York..." he mumbles sleepily as his eyes finally close and he's whisked away into a deep slumber, thoughts of Kendall occupying his dreams.

...

Mac awakens early the next morning; as per usual; and heads to the bathroom, getting himself ready to begin his morning routine. After a quick shower he gets dressed in his running clothes and slips out the door, trying not to disturb Adam.

After a quick stretch and setting his iPod on shuffle Mac's well on his way with his morning run; Stella invading his thoughts this time rather than Claire as he wondered if he might see her on his run again.

'_who goes running this early in the morning after a party except you Mac?'_ He reminds himself as he continues on his run, pushing the thought aside.

No sooner do the words leave his brain does he spot Stella on the opposite end of the field, running in his direction. He gives his head a shake, wondering if he's got a much more active imagination than he thought; but when he looks up again she's still there and he slows his run down to a mild jog as the distance between them closes in.

"Mac?" She calls out as she too slows down, eventually coming to a stop a few feet in front of him.

"Good morning" He responds, almost out of breath and lifting his t-shirt to wipe the sweat from his face.

"_I'll say" _Stella quips inwardly as her eyes feast on Mac's bare stomach; every inch of it toned and every muscle tight with small beads of sweat rolling down his now glistening abs.

"I gotta be honest, didn't expect I'd see anybody else up and about this early on a Sunday" Mac began, pulling Stella from her daze.

"Can't help it" Stella offered with a shrug. "I'm a slave to routine"

"Same here" Mac returned.

"Well..." Stella began as if she was ready to continue on her run; not really sure what else to say and not wanting to leave, but having nothing to suggest either.

"Hey, um..." Mac quickly began before she had a chance to leave. "Did you, wanna get breakfast or something? I mean, since we're both up... And if you don't mind that I'm all sweaty of course" he finished with a light chuckle.

'_Mind? Yeah, right'_ Stella thought. "Breakfast sounds great" She eventually answered, forcing her mind back to reality.

"There's the diner just a few minutes that way" Mac mentioned and Stella grinned.

"Race you there, loser buys breakfast!" She challenged and before Mac could respond she dashed away from him.

"Cheater!" He called out as he ran after her to catch up.

...

Once inside the diner they settled into a small booth, still laughing about their childish race as they tried to catch their breath.

"I would've had you ya know, if you wouldn't have cheated"

"Me? Cheat? How dare you accuse me of such things" Stella countered and Mac playfully rolled his eyes.

"Right. I don't know what's gotten into me. My sincerest apologies"

"That's better" Stella smirked. "Now, if you'll kindly admit your defeat, we can move on with breakfast"

"I won't admit defeat, but I will spring for breakfast"

"Fair enough" Stella shrugged and Mac laughed.

Conversation seemed to flow between them effortlessly, much like it did the previous evening and as they finished their breakfast and were waiting for the cheque to come, Stella decided to take a leap she wasn't usually willing to.

"Mac..."

"Yeah?"

"I know you're probably wondering about me and Don's relation to each other, I know you're smart enough to have figured out that something doesn't quite add up, right?"

"Stella," Mac began, letting out a soft sigh. "Of course I was a little confused and certainly intrigued about you and Don, but like I said last night, you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to"

"And if I want to?"

"By all means, I'm listening" Mac replied with a kind smile and Stella slowly began into her explanation of her family past.

Mac listened intently to everything Stella had offered to him, and her strength to have been through all of that and still able to tell the story with such courage utterly astounded him. However, his feeling of pride was quickly overcome with one of guilt as he thought back to last night and what he now knows was a very poorly chosen joke .

"Stella..." Mac began softly as he looked at her in remorse. "That comment I made last night on the roof; well, you know the one; I am so sorry. God I feel like such an idiot..." he finished, then rested his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands.

"Mac, don't beat yourself up. You didn't know. I'm not holding it against you, so you certainly shouldn't either" She tried reasoning with him and he lifted his head only slightly to look at her.

"I'm still sorry" he managed with a weak frown.

"Okay, apology accepted, time to move on" She encouraged with a warm smile.

"Just like that?" Mac wondered.

"Just like that" she confirmed.

The waitress dropped the cheque on the table and Mac quickly pulled a few bills from his pocket and laid them on the table.

"So, maybe we'll run into each other again..." he mentioned as they stood up from the table.

"Well if you're as much of a creature of habit as I am, I think we just might"

"Lucky me then" Mac replied with a grin.

They get outside and upon realizing that their dorms aren't far from each other, are more than willing to enjoy the rest of their run together; the same smile lingering on both of their faces. They reach Stella's dorm first and Mac waits to make sure she gets inside before regrettably continuing on alone.

'_Until tomorrow...'_ his brain laments.

...

Over the next couple of weeks their morning routines had changed slightly, instead of running into each other somewhere in the middle of their run, Mac began showing up at her dorm every morning where she would be waiting for him and they would go on their run together, both taking comfort in the others company. More often than not they would stop at the diner afterwards; either for a light breakfast or even just a coffee if time permitted before their morning classes. Sometimes they would just talk and talk about anything and everything, other times they would just enjoy each other's company in comfortable silence. They had similar interests and never came up short on things to talk about; conversation just seemed to flow effortlessly as if they'd been friends for years.

For reasons unknown to both of them, neither had told their friends that they had been spending so much time together. Not that they had anything to hide, but both were just unfamiliar with where exactly their relationship was headed. They were friends, sure. Did they want it to be more? Maybe. How would they answer that question if asked? Neither of them knew, and neither knew the other's feelings on the matter either; as that was one topic that remained undiscussed.

However, as fate would have it, after a short run followed by a long coffee break with Mac, Stella returned to her dorm and was startled when she entered her room to find Jess awake and sitting on the edge of Stella's bed, arms folded across her chest.

"Jess... hey... what are you doing up so early?"

"Woke up to use the bathroom, noticed you weren't home, and got a little worried"

"You know I go for a run every morning..."

"Yeah, but since when does a run take 2 hours? And this isn't the first time I've found myself awake and waiting for you to get back. You've been taking off every morning for hours for the last couple weeks... And anyway, besides the outfit, you don't even look like you've been running" Jess huffed.

"Well, I did run, for a bit. Then I went for a coffee..."

"A coffee?" Jess echoed. "With who?"

"With Mac..."

"With Mac?" She echoed Stella again.

"Yes, with Mac. Why do you keep repeating everything I'm saying and making it sound so guilty?"

"Why didn't you tell me you've been seeing so much of Mac?"

"Are you interrogating me?" Stella now wondered.

"What? No. I just..." Jess began before letting out a heavy sigh. "Since when don't we tell each other everything?" she asked, finally confessing what was really bothering her.

"Are you serious? Is that what this is about?" Stella asked softly, making her way over to the bed and slumping down beside her.

"Are you guys dating?"

"No, no. It's not like that" Stella quickly answered.

"So, what's it like?"

"We're friends" She stated simply.

"Friends?" Jess asked, in a not-so-convinced tone.

"Yeah"

"Do you want it to be more than that?" Jess wondered.

"No" Stella replied in haste.

'_Yes'_ her brain argued, without saying it out loud.

"So, what do you guys do all morning?"

"I don't know, just hang out. Talk. Whatever"

"Talk about what?"

"Everything, anything, nothing"

"Nothing?"

"Sometimes" Stella shrugged.

"You guys are weird..." Jess chuckled as she finally gave up her line of questioning.

"What's weird about it?"

"I don't know, 3 weeks ago you didn't even know this guy, now you spend every morning with him, and you're not even dating. You don't think that's weird?"

"You just don't get it. Mac is... he's... we're just... Okay, maybe I don't even get it, all I know is that he's comfortable to be around and I enjoy spending time with him" Stella finally finished her thought.

"Well, if it makes you happy, that's all I need to here" Jess smiled, then stood up from the bed and headed back into her own bedroom.

Stella let out a heavy sigh and allowed herself to fall backwards onto her bed, her mind now forcing her to think about her real intentions regarding Mac. Truth was he not only occupied her thoughts while she was with him in the mornings, but they stayed with her long after her and Mac would part for the day. She'd often find herself in a class lecture or study hall and begin drifting off to a conversation they had, or something funny he had said, or, who was she kidding, the way he looked in those tight sweat-drenched t-shirts after a long run. _'Mac Taylor, why can't I get you out of my head?'_ She asked herself, sighing once more.

...

"Hey, Big Mac!" Danny called out, sprinting over to the sidelines to catch up with Mac after their practice.

"Hey Danny, what's up?"

"Got any plans tonight?"

"Other than the starting into 800 page text book that I'm supposed to have read by the end of next week you mean?"

"Good, so no plans then?" Danny laughed.

"Why, what's going on tonight?"

"Buddy of mine can hook me up with some tickets. Hedley is playing a gig tonight at a club in the city"

"Hedley?" Mac repeated, in a less than excited tone.

"Yeah, I know it's not Led Zeppelin or whatever it is you listen to, but they're alright. Anyway, it's a cheap night out, and I'm sure we'll all have a blast"

"Who's going?" Mac quickly wondered.

"Uh, the usual crew, Don, Jess, probably Stella, Kendall, I think she's even bringing that roommate of yours along. And Montana, of course" He finished with a smirk; not sure how he'd managed to still hang on to her this long, but not willing to let her go anytime soon if he could help it.

"What do you say? Are you in?" Danny asked again.

"Um, let me get back to you" Mac offered with a slight frown.

"Alright, well let me know soon"

"I will"

Mac headed inside to his locker, knowing full well in the back of his mind there was only one way he'd be going tonight. He reached his locker, and grabbed his phone from his jacket to send a quick text.

'_Stella, Danny's asking me about some concert tonight... Are you going? –Mac'_

He slid the phone back into his jacket then headed off to take a shower, and by the time he got back her reply had came.

'_Mac, Yes, I'm going. Jess talked me into it... More like conned me into it. Hope to see you there? – Stella'_

"Danny!" Mac quickly called out as he noticed Danny headed out of the locker room.

"Yeah?"

"Count me in for tonight"

"You got it" Danny nodded then took his leave from the locker room, leaving Mac standing at his locker, still staring at his phone with a shy smile playing on his lips.

...

****Alright, hope you guys liked the hearty dose of SMacked in this chapter :) More to come with all the pairings in the next chapter, so stay tuned!!! Oh, and please review****

**P.S. I chose Hedley, because A) I've had a song of theirs stuck in my head for days now, and B) because they're a band that I think most people know, but they play a lot of small venues (at least in Canada they do...) as well as sell-out concerts, so figured it seemed plausible. **

**P.S.S. Like my new avatar? lol. It has become my inspiration for writing 'College Mac'. YUMMM!**


	8. For The Nights I Can't Remember

**CSI: New York – The College Years**

**Chapter 8: For the Nights I Can't Remember (And the Ones I Don't Want to Forget)**

**...**

Mac heads back towards the dorm, a ridiculous grin tugging at his lips that he tries in vain to fight off. _'Hope to see you there'_; with those words still playing in his head as he reaches home, he begins to wonder how exactly tonight will go. Besides the party, they had never been seen together amongst their friends, and as far as he knew, their friends were oblivious to their latest morning ritual. True, it wasn't a big deal or anything; _'just friends'_ he reminds himself. But if that was the case, why hadn't he told anyone? At the very least Adam, or even Don.

'_Will we sit together? Will we dance together? Will I be as comfortable around her even with our friends around?'_ He asks himself and his mind wanders in a hundred different directions. Finally pushing himself inside the dorm he quickly goes in search of Adam; needing to just get out of his own head for even a minute.

"Did you want to ransack _my_ closet when you're finished in here?" Mac calls out as he steps into Adam's room; his bed and floor cluttered with different outfit options sprawled out all over the place.

"Mac, hey! You're just in time. You gotta help me. Okay, so there's this show tonight in the city, and Kendall asked me to go and... Hey, you're going right? Tell me you're going..." Adam rambles off in his usual nervous tone.

"Yeah, I'm going. Now will you just take a breath, you're starting to make _me_ nervous"

"Right, sorry. It's just, I haven't had the chance to spend a lot of time with Kendall since the party, and I don't want to screw anything up"

"You think you're choice in clothing might just be the deal breaker?" Mac quips but Adam just frowns.

"Come on Mac, help a brother out" He playfully counters, his voice going into a high-pitch tone at the end for comedic effect.

"Fine... what've you got here? I'm almost afraid to ask where we start" Mac remarks, looking around Adam's room.

"Alright, well, there's..." Adam begins as he dives into his different explanations as to why he chose each item, and Mac pretends to sound interested, although now in the back of his mind begins to wonder if he should be this worried about his own appearance.

A few minutes later, Adam finally satisfied with Mac's opinion on what to wear, Mac excuses himself and heads to his own room; stopping in front of his closet and offering a small frown.

With a shake of his head he quickly pushes his insecurities aside, remembering his own advice to Adam; and hoping that Stella already has enough of a vested interested in him that it doesn't matter what he's wearing. He decides just to go for something casual and comfortable and reaches for a pair of dark jeans, white t-shirt, and a collared black cotton ribbed sweater with a ¼ length zipper. Finally, he grabs for his now trademark letterman's jacket. _'She did say she liked it...' _he reminds himself as he throws it onto the bed with the other items.

'_Your being ridiculous Mac'_ his brain finally scolds him as he slumps down onto his mattress.

...

"Don just called, he wants us to be ready in an hour so..." Jess began, stopping suddenly when she pushed the door to Stella's bedroom open. "Woah... what uh... what happened in here?"

"I don't know what to wear" Stella huffed as she flopped herself down onto the bed.

"Well maybe you should narrow your choices down to less than your entire wardrobe... Might make it easier to pick from" Jess remarked as she stared at the piles of clothing that Stella had dug out. "Or, we could call Mac, find out what he's wearing so you guys could colour co-ordinate, wouldn't that be cute?" Jess playfully offered with a smirk, but Stella's frown remained.

"Very funny. You're not helping." She huffed once more.

"Right, sorry. Jessica Angell; fashion consultant at your service" Jess stated, holding her hand to her forehead in a salute while trying to hold back her laughter.

"At ease soldier" Stella quipped, rolling her eyes and Jess finally let out a loud laugh as she wandered the rest of the way in to Stella's room.

"Now let's see here..." Jess began, walking circles around the different piles of clothing scattered throughout the room. "Well you can't wear this jacket because I've already decided that you're gonna let me borrow it so I can wear it" Jess commented as she held up Stella's favourite denim jacket. "Oh, and these shoes match it perfectly so I'm gonna go ahead and borrow these too okay?"

"I thought you were helping _me_?" Stella asked, emphasizing the last word.

"I am helping you silly. See, I just eliminated two options for you"

"Oh gee, whatever would I do without you?" Stella countered, letting out a small laugh.

"Alright, alright, fine miss _everything is about me_ let's find something for _you_" Jess teased then started digging through the clothes.

A few minutes had gone by and Jess had finally chosen a select number of items for Stella to pick through. Finally deciding on a pair of jeans, a casual white v-neck sweater and her brown leather jacket; Stella got up from the bed to head to the bathroom to finish getting ready.

"Oh hey," Stella called back to Jess before completely leaving the room. "Did Don say that Mac was coming?"

"No, I just assumed... Why, you don't know if he's actually coming?"

"Not sure. He texted me, telling me Danny was asking him about it, but never mentioned if he was going" Stella explained, letting out a small sigh at the end.

"He wanted to make sure you were going first! That sly devil!" Jess teased and Stella rolled her eyes once more.

"I doubt that"

"Hmmmm, well maybe we should just call him and find out..." Jess began as she raised an eyebrow and looked over to the nightstand where Stella's phone was sitting.

"Don't you dare do it!" Stella playfully warned.

"Don't do what? This!" Jess exclaimed before pouncing from one end of the bed to the other and grabbing for Stella's cell phone. "Hmmmm, contacts... Mac Taylor..." Jess began, scrolling through Stella's phone.

"Sorry Jess, not gonna happen" Stella countered, running towards the bed she picked up a pillow and swung it at Jess, knocking her over on the mattress as the cell phone fell to the ground.

"Ow!" Jess pouted with exaggerated hurt.

"Nice try" Stella shrugged, as she slid her phone into her pocket for safe keeping then continued on into the bathroom.

A short while later as Jess was finishing getting ready in her bedroom she heard a loud knock at the door.

"Come in, it's open!" she called out, knowing it would be Don. "You're early" She commented as he entered her room, closing the door behind him and taking a seat at the edge of her bed.

"Yeah, well, thought I might be able to seduce you into a little pre-date make out session?" He asked hopefully to which Jess shook her head.

"Nice try mister. I just did my hair and I'm not letting you mess it up before we go out"

"You are going to be the death of me woman" Don pouted with a heavy sigh before dropping himself backwards onto the mattress, feet still firmly planted on the floor.

"Awww, poor baby" Jess mocked him as she made her way over and climbed on top of him, kneeling on the mattress with him trapped underneath her.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Don's face lit up as he pushed himself up slightly onto his elbows.

"Yeah, nice try, still not happening" Jess countered, pushing his head back down to the mattress. She bent down to give him a quick kiss then reached over and grabbed a small pillow, pushing it into his face before she climbed off of him and went back over to the mirror to finish getting ready.

"You, are the devil..." Don muttered under the pillow.

"Yeah yeah, you'll get over it" Jess countered.

"You owe me..." he told her, voice still muffled from the pillow.

"Fine. I'll stay over at your place tonight"

"Really?"

"Really"

"Damn girl, let's go!" Don exclaimed, popping up from the bed he scooped Jess up, throwing her over his shoulder and went racing through the hallway to the front door.

"Um Don..."

"Yeah? What?"

"We have to go to the show first..."she stated and Don came to a halt.

"Ah crap, I forgot. Why do you gotta ruin all the fun?" He asked teasingly as he set her down.

"Because I'm the devil remember?"

Don opened his mouth to respond but his cell phone interrupted him, and he quickly grabbed for it.

"Hello... Yeah, hey Danny what's up? ... 5 minutes? Alright, see ya there"

"We gotta go" Don began, closing his phone and shoving it back into his pocket. "We're all gonna meet up at Mac & Adam's and leave from there. Danny will be there in 5"

"Stell!" Jess called out just as Stella stepped out of her bedroom. "We're leaving"

They all gathered their jackets and headed out of the dorm and into Don's car, finally arriving at Mac's dorm a few minutes later. Mac and Adam were already outside, waiting on the steps as Don's car pulled up, Danny following in right behind them.

"So, how you wanna do this?" Mac asked as Don and Danny stepped out of their cars.

"Well, no sense in taking three separate cars when we can all fit in two" Danny began. "I've got room for one more, Adam why don't you ride with us, Don you can take Mac?"

"Works for me" Don shrugged.

Adam flashed a quick smirk in Mac's direction as he headed over to Danny's car, climbing into the back seat beside Kendall.

"So I guess you're with us then Mac" Don stated, nodding his head towards his car and Mac headed over to the back passenger side, hopping in next to stella.

"Hey" he greeted her with a slightly nervous smile.

"Hey. I'm glad you decided to come" Stella replied with a warm smile.

"Oh, you know, wasn't doing anything else so I just thought I might as well..." Mac tried to sound convincing, but the silly grin on his face when he climbed in next to her told the real reason as to why he came along.

The ride to the club took less time than they had originally thought, and with all the conversation flowing between the four of them, it seemed to go by even quicker. Within an hour they were at the club; Don pulling the car up to the curb to let the two women get out of the car so he could go find a parking spot, and Danny still a few minutes behind them.

"Stay with them will ya Mac?" Don asked, not wanting to leave them on their own in the crowded line-up outside the club.

"Sure" Mac agreed, stepping out of the car and joining Stella and Jess in the line.

"Ah, sent his bodyguard to keep an eye on us huh?" Jess teased as Mac approached them.

"Nah, Don just didn't want to make me walk in these shoes" Mac countered, causing the two of them to laugh.

A moment later Danny's car had pulled up to the curb as well and Lindsay and Kendall had stepped out of the car, Adam attempting to follow them.

"Hey, where do you think you're going Princess?" Danny called out and Adam turned back towards the car.

"Didn't want to leave the ladies unattended?" he tried and Danny rolled his eyes.

"Nice try pal, Mac's right there, get in"

"Fine" Adam huffed, getting back into the car as they drove off to find a parking spot.

"Yeah Mac, think you can handle all of us?" Kendall teased and Mac swallowed hard.

"I seriously doubt it" he answered in truth.

"Smart man" Kendall quipped, winking at Stella. She didn't know much of the relationship between the two of them, just the small bits of information Adam had been able to get from Mac; which again wasn't much more than the promise that they were 'just friends'. One thing she was quick to notice though was the bright smile on Stella's face as she stood next to him in line.

"So... isn't this great? A nice couples night out?" Kendall asked with a curious grin; the comment garnering her a playful glare from Stella, which was fortunately unnoticed by Mac.

"Lindsay" Stella began, quickly changing the subject. "Is this your first night out in the big city?"

"Actually yeah it is. I went straight to the dorms when I first got here, and have just been so busy haven't had a chance to experience any of the 'night life' of New York"

"Oh, this is going to be fun!" Kendall grinned.

"Hey, don't you guys try and corrupt Montana on me" Danny's voice called out as he, Adam and Don hurried up to them in the line up; Danny's arm instinctively wrapping around Lindsay's shoulder, keeping her snuggled into his side.

"Hey, you got the tickets right Mess?" Don asked and Danny looked up at him in shock. "Messer!" Don scolded and Danny's surprised look eventually broke out into laughter.

"Relax, I got the tickets" he assured him, patting his breast pocket of his jacket.

As they finally made their way up to the front of the line Danny handed the bouncer their tickets and the group of them were let inside; stopping at the coat check before heading in to find a table.

"Why thank you" Stella beamed with a warm smile as she turned to check her coat, only to find Mac standing in her way with a hanger already in hand.

"You're welcome" he replied, rewarding her with a smile of his own.

The others watched the seemingly insignificant gesture, but Jess was quick to offer Don a swat to his arm.

"Ow, what was that for?" Don wondered.

"How come you never take my jacket?" she immediately questioned and Adam and Danny were quick to follow Mac's lead before landing a slap of their own.

"Sorry" Don grumbled, helping Jess off with her jacket and her and the other three women disappeared to go explore the club while the men checked their coats.

"You're gonna pay for that one Taylor" Don jokingly chided Mac.

"Sorry" Mac shrugged. "Force of habit I guess?"

"Yeah, you got any other 'habits' we should know about so I don't look like a jerk in front of my girlfriend again?"

"Yeah, why don't you go ahead and check your 'Prince Charming' act along with your coat so the rest of us don't get in any trouble tonight" Danny added with a smirk.

"Can't help it" Mac offered with another shrug. "My mother drilled it into my head"

"Ah, a mama's boy" Danny snickered and Don shook his head, chuckling to himself.

"This coming from the guy who still calls his mom 'mommy'?" Don added and Danny quickly frowned, knowing full well he couldn't deny that.

"Are you guys coming or what?" Jess called out, poking her head in from the doorway, abruptly ending their discussion.

"Coming" they all called back simultaneously.

The guys followed after Jess who led them to a large circular booth where Lindsay, Kendall and Stella were already sitting. Stella quickly pushed herself out of the booth, allowing Adam in to sit next to Kendall, then took the empty seat beside him, Mac following behind her. Danny had already made his way into the middle with Lindsay, leaving Don and Jess on the end, across from Mac and Stella.

It was still a few minutes before the show would be starting and a waitress had stopped by their table to take their drink order. Just as they received their drinks the lights went down as the band took the stage, the crowd cheering loudly and several patrons swarming up to the front of the stage.

They leaned back in their seats as the band began to play, and all seemed to be enjoying themselves; even Mac who was the most sceptical at first.

"Alright, who wants to go start a mosh pit?" Danny asked with a grin after a few songs into the set.

"Wanna try it and see what happens?" Lindsay warned and Danny quickly shook his head, admitting defeat.

The song ended and the stage lights came up slightly as the ones on the dance floor dimmed and lead singer Jacob Hoggard took to the microphone once again;

"How's everybody doing tonight?" He asked and the crowd quickly erupted with cheers and whistles.

"Alright, well, it's great to be here in New York City, and if you guys don't mind we'd like to slow it down just a bit for the next couple songs. So guys, go ahead and grab your favourite girl and let's see you get out here to the dance floor. This next one's called Old School"

"Oh my God, I love this song!" Jess exclaimed, practically pushing Don out of the booth. "Come on you guys, let's go" she called out to the others as Don led her by the hand to the dance floor.

"Well Montana, what do you say?" Danny asked with a smile, holding his hand out to Lindsay who took it immediately and they followed after Don and Jess.

Adam shifted nervously then looked at Kendall unassumingly, and she smiled in return. "You're gonna make me dance aren't you?" He asked and she grinned.

"You know it. Now, let's hope you're a better dancer than guitar player" she teased as they too took their leave from the table; leaving Mac and Stella alone.

The song, now well into the first verse had garnered a rather large turnout on the dance floor as dozens of couples made their way from their seats leaving only a handful of spectators behind.

"Are you having fun?" Mac asked and Stella crinkled her face slightly and shook her head before leaning in closer to Mac and gesturing that she couldn't hear him.

He shifted slightly closer to hear and leaned his head down so his mouth was just inches from her ear; "I asked if you're having fun" he repeated himself and she looked up at him and smiled.

"A better time than I thought I would've had. How about you?"

"Same" Mac told her with a shrug. He lifted his arm and rested it on the back of the seat behind Stella before leaning into her once more; "Can I tell you something?" he asked and she offered a slightly confused look before nodding her head. "I wasn't going to come if you weren't" he told her in truth, and she rewarded his confession with a bright smile.

"Well I wouldn't be having nearly as much of a good time if you weren't here" she offered back.

As the song came to an end the crowd on the dance floor clapped loudly as the lead singer gave them his attention once more; "Alright, you guys want one more?" he asked and they cheered louder; the girls in particular. "Okay, this one's called 'For The Nights I Can't Remember', so let's try and make it one you won't soon forget"

_I see it in the way you would do,  
when no one else could ever get through.  
Holdin' back till I come around,  
Time and time again you wait for me to come in._

"Did you want to dance?" Mac blurted out, unexpected even to himself.

"I love this song..." Stella confessed and with that Mac quickly got up from the table and held his hand out to Stella. Taking his hand they made their way into the crowd and he wrapped one hand around her waist and the other held her hand close to his chest as the song continued.

_And did you really look my way?  
Cause no one could've seen this comin'.  
I would never let you down,  
If I was running backwards in full time_

_So, I can,  
And I will,  
And you'll see,  
You're hero come running  
Over, and over, tonight_

Pushing aside all regard for their friends around them who had now noticed them, Mac held onto Stella even tighter and she rested her head against his shoulder as the chorus began;

_And I do, wanna love you,  
And I do, wanna try.  
Because if falling for you girl is crazy,  
Then I'm going out of my mind.  
So hold off your tears, this time._

"I think I like this song too" Mac whispered against her hair, causing her face to instantly flush as her smile grew bigger.

The heat from his body pressed against hers was making her mind go fuzzy; the sweet smell of her perfume doing similar things to his senses. She lifted her head from his shoulder and looked up at him as she let go of his hand and her hands slid up his chest and around his neck, keeping them as close as possible. Macs free hand instinctively matched the other, wrapping around her waist. Both hearts now racing, Mac slowly closed his eyes as he leaned his head down closer to hers; regrettably stopping mere inches away from her when she spoke softly.

"Do you want to get some air?" she quickly asked and Mac opened his eyes as his head shot back up.

"Uh, yeah, sure" he managed with a weak smile. They pulled apart, immediately feeling the loss of the others warmth.

"What's that about?" Don wondered as he watched Mac following after Stella towards the exit.

"Who knows, probably going to get some air or something" Jess shrugged as she gripped her hand around Don's chin, forcing his glance back to her and he smiled before leaning down to plant a soft kiss on her lips.

"Sorry" he mumbled against her lips, finally refocusing his attention on her.

...

The cold night air hit them like a brick wall as Mac and Stella stepped out the side door of the club; neither having bothered to stop to grab their jackets. Stella let out a heavy sigh as she slumped herself back against the brick wall of the building, Mac standing a few feet in front of her.

"I'm sorry" she finally mumbled with a sympathetic frown.

"For what?" Mac asked, shaking his head slightly. "You don't have anything to be sorry about" he continued in a softer tone as he stepped closer and brushed his hand against her arm.

She managed to offer a weak smile before hanging her head back down, inwardly cursing herself for ruining the moment because of her own insecurities and trust issues.

"Hey" he spoke softly again, tilting her chin up with his finger to look at him. "I understand, I mean, if you don't want to... I'm sorry"

"No, Mac, it's not that. I want to, more than anything I want to" she confessed in a whisper. "It's just... It's... It's not you Mac, it's me. Ugh, don't get involved with me I'm a total mess" she laughed lightly.

"Too late" he mumbled and she looked up with a slightly shocked expression.

"What?"

"I don't know how to say this without sounding like a total dork, but it's the absolute truth so here goes nothing" he explained, and let out a soft sigh before continuing; "if falling for you is crazy, then I've already gone out of my mind" he finished in haste, and as the last word left his lips he immediately found himself pressing her against the wall, his hands cupping her face as he crushed her lips with his. Stella immediately brought her arms around his neck, gripping onto the hair at the back of his head as she felt a weakness in her knees she'd never felt before. A small eternity seemed to pass as they remained locked in the heavily passionate kiss, neither wanting to end it. Eventually, as the need for oxygen over ruled, they finally broke apart; racing hearts keeping perfect time with each other.

Mac took a partial step back, separating his body from hers as she leaned back against the wall once more in an effort to keep her balance.

"Wow..." he murmured in between short and shallow breaths, his hands still cupping her face with his forehead resting against hers.

"Yeah, wow..." she echoed, with equally laboured breathing.

"Now what?" He wondered, regrettably letting her go and looking back towards the club entrance where their friends were waiting and probably beginning to wonder what happened to them.

"If anybody asks, I'll just tell them you're crazy" she smirked and he hung his head with embarrassment.

"Sorry, I was hoping by kissing you that you might forget my totally cheesy sentiment" he chuckled and she smiled warmly.

"I like cheesy" she rewarded him before offering one more quick kiss to his lips. "Besides, it's like having my own rock star" she smirked.

"You're brother's not gonna beat me up now is he?" Mac asked in sarcasm.

"Why, you wouldn't fight for me?" She countered with an equally sarcastic pout.

"To the death" he stated simply, letting out a small laugh he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against his chest; holding her tightly and kissing the top of her head.

...

****GO SMacked! Please review and tell me your thoughts on this smack-tastic chapter ;) hopefully you're still enjoying this! It won't all be 'hearts and flowers' for our beloved SMacked... yes the inevitable bump in the road is coming. Thanks for all the reviews, I tried to throw some more of Jess and Don in this chap as many of you seem to be a fan of them in this fic.****

**P.S. I apologize for the lack of spotlight on the other 2 pairings. I'll be the first to admit that writing the other pairings is not my 'strong suit'. I'm a SMacked fan through and through, so obviously know them the best. And, in all fairness this is a SMack-centric story... But, if you have any requests, or scenes, or ideas that you would like to see play out with any of the couples, I'd love to hear them so leave it in your review and I'll do my best to incorporate it into the story ;)**


	9. Young Love

**CSI: New York – The College Years**

**Chapter 9 – Young Love**

**A/N: Thanks again for all the great reviews!! So glad you're all enjoying this story so much!**

...

As Mac and Stella re-entered the club they noticed the dance floor near empty again and their friends had made their way back to their table already. They casually strolled over to the table and each took a seat, not bothering to offer an explanation for their absence, and hoping it wouldn't come up either.

"What happened to you two?" Danny was the first to question, and neither were really all that surprised by how fast the interrogation began.

"Stella just needed to get some air" Mac quickly interjected; trying to play it off as innocent as possible.

"Uh huh..." Danny replied with a smirk which garnered him an elbow to his side from Lindsay.

"I know what you mean Stella" Lindsay began, trying to justify their situation. "It's really warm in here, I could use some air too, come on Danny"

"Now?" Danny quickly wondered, and Lindsay shot him a stern glare. "Fine" he huffed as Jess and Don stood up to let them out of the booth.

...

"It's freezing out here Montana!" Danny whined, jumping up and down in the same spot with his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

"Well who wears t-shirts in October?" she countered and he frowned as he looked down at his poor choice in clothing.

"What are we doing out here anyway? It's not _that_ warm in there..."

"Just don't bring up anything more about Stella and Mac okay?" she lightly warned and Danny offered a look of confusion.

"Why?"

"Because first of all, you don't know if there's any truth to it; and second of all, did you forget that her brother is sitting across the table from her?"

"So" he quickly countered.

"So... okay, obviously you don't have a sister, but having three brothers myself I know all too well how brother's react to new boyfriends"

"What! Mac is Stella's boyfriend?" Danny immediately questioned with his mouth still hanging open, missing Lindsay's point entirely and causing her to roll eyes.

"No" she exclaimed with a heavy sigh. "Pay attention. If there _is_ something going on between them; and I'm not saying there is; then now would not be the time or place when she'd want him to find out"

"Why not? Mac's a great guy"

"Yes, and Don knows that, but brother's need time to digest this kind of thing. Trust me" She explains, emphasizing the last sentence and rolling her eyes.

"Alright, fine. No more wise cracks"

"Promise?"

"I promise"

"Good. Are you still cold?" she asked as she slowly walked up to him and draped her arms around his neck.

"Maybe a little" he shrugged. "Think you can warm me up?" he asked, playfully arching a brow.

"Come here" she whispered, pulling his head down to hers and offering a deep kiss. Danny let out a soft moan as her tongue swept into his mouth; he quickly grabbed onto her waist and turned around forcing her against the wall; bodies pressed together as his hands caressed her hips.

"Danny..." Lindsay mumbled in the short breaths they took between hungry kisses as she felt his hand going underneath her shirt and gripping onto her waist. "Danny..." she mumbled once more but Danny's overheated brain failed to comprehend her light protest as he deepened the kiss and thrusted his body against hers. Lindsay gripped tightly onto Danny's t-shirt; her body instinctively reacting to the passion he offered her.

"Danny, stop" she contested firmly as her brain finally managed to react. She pushed his hand out from under her shirt and he immediately took a step backwards.

"Sorry" he managed with a weak frown.

"No, I'm sorry. I know, I started it, it's just..."

"Too fast?" he wondered.

"A little" she frowned. "Is that okay?"

"Of course that's okay" he finally smiled as he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. "I can wait. As long as it takes okay?"

"Okay" Lindsay replied with a sigh of relief.

"Now let's get you back inside before you freeze to death" he smirked, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her closely against him to place a kiss on the top of her head before leading her back inside.

As they made their way back inside and towards their table Danny was quick to notice Mac's hand linked with Stella's underneath the table, out of sight from anyone who was sitting down.

"What were you two doing for so long?" Don now wondered and Danny smirked.

"Just getting some air..."

"I have to go to the washroom" Lindsay mentioned quickly and the women instinctively looked at their respective dates, signalling them to let them out from the table.

The men all stood up, Don huffing as he did, and let the women exit as they all headed towards the washroom.

"What's with that?" Adam chuckled as they sat back down and Don was quick to roll his eyes and shake his head.

"Oh, don't even get Don started on the 'bathroom train'" Mac quipped and Don let out a small laugh.

"I just don't get it"

"Yeah, we know Don" Mac smirked. "I don't think we're supposed to get it"

"One of the many female mysteries" Danny added.

...

Inside the washroom Lindsay and Kendall actually headed into the stalls to use the facilities while Jess and Stella just stood in front of the mirror, Jess making sure her hair was still perfectly in place and Stella reapplying her lip gloss.

"So is it just me, or did Mac's lips look a little shinier when you guys came back inside?" Jess teased, nudging Stella in the side.

"I have no idea what you're talking about..." Stella tried and Jess playfully slapped her arm.

"Liar! Come on Stella, tell me!" Jess begged and Stella let out a small laugh.

"Fine, he kissed me" she whispered with a grin.

"I knew it!" Jess exclaimed, displaying a similar grin.

"Knew what?" Kendall called out as she stepped out of the stall and made her way over to the sink.

"Nothing" both Stella and Jess answered simultaneously.

"You kissed Mac!" Kendall gasped and they both exchanged perplexed glances.

"How does she do that?" Stella laughed and Jess shrugged.

"It's a gift..." Kendall remarked with a confident nod.

Lindsay stepped out of the stall as well and stopped beside Stella before reaching the sink.

"Don't worry, I told Danny to keep his mouth shut in front of Don" she explained and Stella threw her hands up in the air in defeat.

"Was it really _that_ obvious?" she wondered.

"Yes" the others all echoed.

"But don't worry" Kendall immediately continued. "Guys aren't that perceptive, I don't think any of them have a clue"

"Danny figured it out" Stella huffed.

"Yeah, after I practically painted him a picture" Lindsay chimed in and Stella finally felt some of her anxiety ease as they all let out a hearty laugh.

After finishing up with washing their hands the women filed out of the bathroom and ventured back out through the dance floor and finally found their way back to the table where the young men were patiently waiting for their return.

"Miss me?" Jess teased as Don stood up to let her get back to her seat.

"You know I did" he snickered in return, holding her close against him and eventually stealing a quick but tender kiss from her waiting lips.

Kendall flashed Adam a warm smile as she slid in next to him in the booth, her side pressing against his filled his head with more nervous anxiety and he felt his face beginning to flush from the feeling of warmth her body offered his. He lifted his arm to the back of the seat so it was resting behind Kendall, allowing her frame to snuggle in closer to his; if she so wanted. Much to his surprise she grabbed for his hand, wrapped it around her shoulder and scooted closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder; causing Adam's grin to widen even further.

The moment everyone had returned to their seats, Mac's hand quickly went in search for Stella's under the table; interlacing his fingers with hers when he found it and rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. The simple contact his strong hand offered sent a tingle through her entire body as she tried in vain to downplay her widely growing grin.

The blissful group of friends remained at their table for the rest of the show, which came to an end a few songs after the girls had returned from the restroom. The men, now smart enough not to make the same mistake twice, headed straight to the coat check to receive the jackets for the ladies who waited for them in the now near empty club.

"So, when are you going to tell Don about Mac?" Jess immediately wondered once the guys were out of sight.

"Maybe there's not even anything to tell yet Jess" Stella sighed, once again feeling her insecurities creeping up on her.

"Please!" Kendall interjected with a scoff. "I wish I could get Adam to look at me like the way Mac looks at you, but he's too busy staring at his own feet. Lucky for him nervousness is adorable on him, and I'm a sucker for his boy-next-door charm" she finished with a smirk.

"You really like him don't you?" Stella wondered and Kendall's grin grew wider.

"Consider me smitten" she quipped.

"Good for you, Adam seems like a nice guy"

"Yeah, and trust me, with my track record I could use one of those" Kendall sighed. "And so could you Stella" she continued, placing a hand on Stella's shoulder. "Mac is nothing like that loser Frankie"

"Not to mention _way_ cuter" Lindsay added, nudging Stella in the side and breaking the tension as the girls broke out into laughter once again.

"That's never good..." Danny smirked as the guys re-entered the room. "What were you guys talking about?"

"Oh, just girl stuff" Lindsay remarked and Danny quickly rolled his eyes.

"Like I said, never good" he chuckled. "Come on, let's get out of here"

They all headed outside and to their cars, keeping the same arrangements as the ride up. In the back seat of Danny's car Kendall had burrowed herself into Adam's warm grasp and fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder during the ride home; a blissful smile on Adam's face as he relished in the feeling of her closeness.

"She's a great girl" Danny mentioned softly as he noticed the two of them in the rear view mirror.

"I'm a lucky guy" Adam smirked, kissing the top of Kendall's head, who was still asleep.

"Yeah, me too" Danny confessed, gripping onto Lindsay's hand and offering her a warm smile.

"Geez one pop concert and you boys turn into total saps" Lindsay teased, leaning over to place a kiss on Danny's cheek.

"Just don't tell Don" Danny warned, attempting at a serious facial expression that just turned back into his famous smirk as Lindsay arched a brow at him.

"You are too cute" she chuckled, shaking her head slightly.

...

"So Stell," Jess began as Don's car rolled to a stop outside their dorm building. "Do you have your key? I'm going to stay at Don's tonight" she finished, with a slight grin tugging at her lips.

"Yes I have my key" Stella nodded.

"Night Stell" Don smiled as she went to reach for the door handle.

"I'll uh... I'll walk you up. Make sure you get in okay" Mac mentioned with a shrug. "You guys can go ahead, I'm just going to walk home from here"

"You don't have to do that Mac, it's no big deal" Don tried to protest.

"Nah, don't worry about it. You're place is right around the corner, you don't have to drive me back to mine. Besides I've been sitting for way too long anyway, need to stretch my legs" he shrugged once more.

"You sure?" Don wondered.

"Babe, he's sure. Now come on before I change my mind and you'll be sleeping by yourself tonight" Jess intervened, shooting a quick wink towards Stella that had gone unnoticed by the two men.

"Goodnight Mac" Don was quick to blurt out as he started his car again.

"Goodnight" Mac chuckled as he and Stella stepped out of the car.

...

"Who says chivalry is dead" Stella lightly laughed as Mac rushed to open the door to her building before she had a chance to reach for it.

"It won't be if my mother has anything to say about it" Mac countered and Stella laughed once more.

"So, needed to 'stretch your legs' huh?" Stella asked abruptly, offering a sideways smirk at Mac as they made their way up the stairs to the 3rd floor.

"Thought it would come off as more innocent then the real reason I wanted to get you alone" he admitted in a low tone, reaching out and grabbing her hand.

"And that reason would be...?" Stella questioned with a flirtatious smile as they stopped at the stairwell door to her floor.

"This..." Mac began before quickly wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her tightly against his chest and crushing her lips with his. Their balance faltered slightly as their passion increased and Stella nearly stumbled backward into the door; Mac reaching his arm out and pressing it against the glass window of the door as leverage to keep them both steady, his other arm still wrapped around her waist and holding her close.

Finally breaking apart for air, Stella looked up at Mac with a curious smirk; "yes, I think I'm glad you didn't tell my brother that" she teased.

"About Don..." Mac began, letting out a soft sigh at the end.

"I know, I have to tell him; and I will"

"What do you think he'll say?" Mac wondered and Stella smirked once more.

"Probably something along the lines of 'I'm happy for you' and 'if he ever hurts you it'll be the last thing he ever does'. You know, the average big brother speech"

"Right" Mac chuckled. "God I couldn't imagine having a sister" Mac sighed, shaking his head slightly. Stella laughed at his last comment, picturing him being pretty much a carbon copy of Don if he had a sister of his own.

"I give Don full permission to beat me senseless if I ever do anything to hurt you, okay?" Mac stated jokingly, wanting to believe that he could never allow himself to hurt her. Unfortunately for them; fate often had a plan of its own.

"I'll be sure to tell him that" she smirked.

"Make sure you do" he added with a small laugh.

"Well I'm glad you decided to come tonight" Stella confessed with a warm smile as they lingered at the door.

"So am I" he offered with a bright smile of his own.

"See you in the morning?" She wondered.

"See you in the morning" he confirmed with a firm nod. He watched her head through the door and stop outside her dorm room as she fished her keys out of her pocket. Waiting until she was safely inside, Mac let out a content sigh as he regrettably took his leave and headed down the stairs and back outside.

...

"Mac Attack, what up!" Adam greeted enthusiastically; his voice in a high pitched tone as Mac had returned home to their dorm.

"Let me guess, you had a good time?" Mac chuckled and Adam's face lit up like a kid at Christmas who had just been given a puppy.

"Amazing time!" Adam corrected. "I uh... I kissed her" he continued, his smile growing wider with each passing second.

"_You_ kissed _her_?" Mac asked, feeling it necessary to clarify.

"Hell yeah" Adam boasted victoriously. "Adam Ross in the house, what-what!" he exclaimed; his high pitched tone returning and Mac had to laugh as he shook his head.

"That's great Adam. Well goodnight..." Mac offered as he turned to head towards his room; ready to call it a night.

"Hey, wait!" Adam mentioned in haste, causing Mac to turn back towards him.

"What?"

"You never told me if you had a good time..." Adam stated, provoking an immediate grin from Mac.

"I had an amazing time" Mac confessed before stepping into his room and closing his door.

"You what? Wait... Mac! What happened?" Adam questioned immediately, looking for details.

"Goodnight Adam" Mac called through the closed door and Adam let out a defeated sigh before heading back to his own room.

...

****Sorry, this chapter was a little shorter than the other ones but it's been forever since I last posted (had a crazy week) so I wanted to give you guys something. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter, tried to throw in some moments with all the couples, and hopefully didn't disappoint. Leave a review and let me know what you thought****

**P.S. Be sure to check out my latest fic "Family Ties"; a story about Mac and Reed with lots of SMacked!!**


	10. Interrupted

**CSI: New York – The College Years**

**Chapter 10 – Interrupted**

...

Small beads of sweat had quickly begun to saturate his skin as Mac powered through the physically demanding football practice. It was only two days until another game day would be upon them and Coach Hammerback would settle for nothing less than a perfectly executed game plan. They had been running drills for the last two hours; most of their energy all but spent.

"Alright men, bring it in!" the Coach's voice called out after a final blow of his whistle. Helmets were quickly tossed aside and most of the team sprinted towards the sidelines, heading straight for the refreshment table.

"Mac, Don" Danny called out as he caught up to the two of them who were already heading for the locker room. "We doing the usual? Heading over to the diner for a bite?"

"No can do Dann-o" Don shrugged.

"Why not? Oh wait, let me guess... You can bring Jess along too ya know"

"It's not Jess; in fact she'll probably go anyway"

"So what are you doing tonight?"

"Have to go see Stella. She said she needs to talk to me about something" he shrugged once more and Mac felt his body tense slightly.

"What's that about?" Danny immediately wondered.

"Beats me. Maybe we'll catch up with you guys afterwards"

"Alright, alright. Mac, you in?"

"Um..." Mac began hesitantly.

"Never mind 'um' you're coming" Danny stated simply, landing a hand on Mac's shoulder. "Meet you there in an hour"

Mac wasn't given the chance to argue as Danny quickly disappeared into the shower room. He looked over to Don and began wondering how he was going to react when Stella told him the news. He knew how protective Don was over Stella; especially considering the sordid details of her strained childhood and he couldn't blame Don for looking out for her as he did. In fact, he was glad she had somebody like that in her life. Not that she needed anyone to fight her battles for her, but everyone needs a shoulder to lean on once and a while. He'd never dealt with a 'big brother' before; Claire was an only child and her father wasn't around much so the issue had never come up.

'_Claire'_ his brain automatically laments. There was a name he hadn't thought of in a while. He still hadn't spoken to her since he arrived in New York, and the last time he attempted to contact her was nearly two weeks ago when he was feeling down on himself. Although he was having a great time getting to know Stella; he was certain she was out of his league and nothing would come of it anyway. She didn't answer the call and when the voicemail box kicked in Mac found himself not able to come up with any words to leave with her, so instead he let out a heavy sigh then hung up the phone.

However, that was all behind him now and he finally felt himself ready to move on with Stella. This was one girl he wasn't going to let get away; he told himself time and time again since the concert the other night.

...

"So, when's Don going to be here?" Jess asked, leaning up against the doorframe to Stella's bedroom.

"Soon I guess" she shrugged in return, looking over to the small clock on her bedside table.

"Nervous?"

"Should I be?"

"I'd like to say no, but you and I both know how Don is..."

"Gee thanks"

"I'm just kidding" Jess lightly laughed. "Besides, next to Frankie Mac is like something out of a fairy tale. Don should be throwing a party when he finds out"

"Maybe, but let's hold off on the streamers and party hats just yet" Stella smirked.

"So, you and Mac are like... official?"

"I think so" Stella nodded with a bright smile.

"So tell me what happened!" Jess quickly demanded as she took a seat next to Stella on the bed.

"Well, we were standing outside and I was being a total vulnerable mess, and I figured he would be darting into traffic at any given moment but instead he..."

"He what?!" Jess asked, intrigued to hear the rest of the story.

"He told me he lost his mind and then he kissed me" she grinned and Jess offered a sideways glance.

"What? Lost his mind? Well... that's a nice sentiment... Quite the charmer you've got yourself there..."

"No, wait, I'm telling the story all wrong" Stella laughed at herself. "It was much more romantic than that"

"Geez I hope so"

"It really was. It was all just in the moment, and the song and..."

"The song?"

"Yeah, you know _'if falling for you girl is crazy, then I'm going out of my mind'_" Stella sang the particular line she was trying to get across earlier.

"Awwwww!" Jess gushed as she realized what Stella was talking about. "That is so cute!"

"It was adorable"

"Think you've got yourself a keeper?" Jess wondered and Stella grinned once more.

"I hope so"

They suddenly heard a soft knock at the door, and knowing it would be Don Stella took a deep breath, then nodded her head at Jessica to go and let him in.

Jess bounded over towards the door, barely able to contain her excitement. She swung the door open and quickly greeted Don by throwing her arms around his neck and planting a tender kiss on his lips.

"Good to see you too babe" Don smirked as she pulled herself off of him.

"Listen, I'm going to meet everyone down at the diner, but why don't you guys meet up with us after?"

"You're not going to tell me what this is about are you?"

"What makes you think I even know?"

"Please, I'm sure you guys were just in the bathroom gabbing about" Don offered in a mocked huff.

"Just go talk to Stella. I'll see you in a bit okay? And we're still on for tonight, right?"

"You bet" Don confirmed, pulling her in for one last kiss before she took her leave and left him standing in the doorway.

"Stell..." Don called out, making his way down the hallway to her bedroom.

"Yeah, come in"

"What's going on Stell? Is everything alright?" Don immediately wondered with hint of worry in his tone.

"Everything's fine" she smiled warmly. "Better than fine, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. Come and sit down" she mentioned, patting her hand down beside her on the mattress.

Don took of his jacket and draped it over a nearby chair before taking a seat on the edge of the bed and turning to face Stella. "So, what's up?"

Stella shifted in her seat and fidgeted nervously with her fingers, unsure of where to start and not knowing how Don would react to her confessing that she's now seeing one of his friends.

"Stella, what is it?" Don pressed further, noticing her anxiety.

"You want me to be happy, right?" she finally began, looking at Don with uncertainty.

"Of course Stella, what kind of question is that? What is this about?"

"Well, I'm sure you've noticed that ever since Frankie, I haven't had that much to be happy about" she stated glumly and Don felt his heart sink.

"Stella..."

"Just let me finish" she interrupted. "The point is, I'm done dwelling over the past; done with Frankie. I haven't seen or spoken to him since the party a couple weeks back so I think he's finally gotten the hint. And I know I'm ready to move on"

"That's great sis, really. I'm proud of you"

"Thanks Don" she smiled warmly. "You and Jess were really there for me through all of this and I can't thank you guys enough"

"Don't mention it" Don shrugged, smiling back as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. "So, ready to move on, huh?" he smirked and she grinned back at him nervously.

"Yeah, I am..."

"Alright, so who is he?" Don immediately questioned with a soft sigh.

"What? Who?" she tried to sound innocent and Don just shook his head and laughed.

"Come on Stell, you're not fooling me. Is this why you wanted to talk to me, because you've started seeing someone else and you wanted to tell me?"

"Fine" she lightly huffed, letting out a sigh of defeat at the end.

"So, who is he? Do I know him?"

"You do..." she treaded lightly around the subject and he raised an eyebrow at her as his curiosity grew.

"Well, tell me who it is"

"Um... Mac?" not sure why she made it sound like a question, she crinkled her face slightly and raised an eyebrow as if she was waiting to hear a stern lecture from a parent or authority figure.

"Oh..." is all Don offered back as he took his gaze away from her and brought it back down to the floor.

"Don?..." she tried to get his attention but was rewarded with nothing but silence for a few short moments that to Stella seemed like an eternity.

"You know" he began softly. "I knew it was only a matter of time before you started dating _my_ friends" he finished smugly with a slight smirk as he finally looked back at her and she nudged him in the side with her elbow.

"Technically, I knew him first" she countered and he looked at her in disbelief.

"What? No you didn't..."

"I met him the morning before your first official practice"

"And you didn't tell me?"

"Didn't think much of it at the time" she shrugged; a grin instantly forming as she remembered his cute and nervous actions on their first encounter. Not to mention her instant attraction to him that she decided to push to the back of her brain while still insisting to herself that no good could come from dating another football jock.

"So, what changed your mind all of a sudden?" Don wondered.

"Well, it wasn't exactly 'all of a sudden'..." she admitted sheepishly. "We've kind of spent every morning together since the day after the first party..."

"Perfectly innocent" she quickly explained as she felt the need to interject as she saw Don ready to respond. "We go running together every morning"

"So, why didn't Mac tell me?" Don had to know.

"Probably, like me, didn't think there was anything to tell"

"And when did that change?"

"The concert..." she sighed happily and Don just nodded.

"You know Stell, Mac is a really good guy as far as I can tell; and you certainly deserve the best. So, if you're happy, I'm happy"

"Really?"

"Really. Now, that being said, he knows what happens if he hurts you right?" he smirked and she rolled her eyes.

"He's been fore-warned, yes" she lightly laughed.

"Good. Just so long as he knows what he's getting into"

"Geez Don, don't go trying to scare him off" she laughed again and swatted his arm.

"That's my job" he smirked once more before pulling her against his shoulder offering a quick hug.

"Well, what do you say, you wanna get out of here and meet up with the guys, and uh... your guy..." Don asked and Stella smiled at his choice of words.

"Yeah, let's go" she nodded in agreement as she pushed herself up off the bed and they both grabbed for their jackets before heading out of the dorm.

...

As Don and Stella made their way into the diner the few others that were still left at the table had finished eating and were now just relaxing with a cup of coffee and chatting amongst themselves. Mac stared nervously at the pair as they made their way to the table; uncertain of whether or not Stella had actually told Don, and how he took to the news if she did. His eyes darted back and forth between them as if he was watching a heated tennis match and Stella couldn't help but smile at his nervousness.

Deciding not to torture him any further Stella nudged Don softly in his side then made a gesturing nod of her head towards Mac.

"Oh, right" Don began, clearing his throat before extending his hand to Mac. "Uh, congrats Mac. You take care of her, alright?"

Mac quickly accepted Don's handshake and nodded his head with a smile; inwardly sighing with relief that the situation didn't turn awkward.

"And don't hurt her" Don lightly warned, not yet letting go of the handshake that had gone on a little too long. "We can't afford to lose our quarterback" he smirked as he finally let go and Mac let out a hearty laugh; knowing, or at least hoping that Don was only joking.

Jess, who was sitting opposite from Mac pushed herself down the booth slightly so that Don could slip in next to her and Mac stood up and offered Stella to sit down first before he slid back in next to her and opposite from Don. Still a little weary of how to act with Stella in front of their friends; Mac kept his hands clenched together and resting on the table in front of him.

Much to Mac's delight, Jess quickly struck up a conversation about the upcoming weekend, diverting the attention away from him and Stella and as the others joined in Mac finally felt his tension beginning to ease. New relationships always have their awkward moments, he thought; especially ones that began between two mutual friends. Looking around the table though at the others he felt a sense of belonging; sure he had only known this already tight-knit group of friends for a few weeks but they had seamlessly accepted him as 'one of the gang' quite quickly, and truthfully it wasn't what he expected when he came to a big city school such as this one but he was more than happy now with his outlook on what the future had in store.

Finally feeling his nerves settle he leaned back in his seat and draped his arm across the bench behind Stella; and as she laughed about something Danny had said she leaned over, pressing herself against Mac's side and his lips automatically curled up into a smile upon the contact her body made with his. This, he thought, he could get used to.

With the sun now risking to set and most of the diner cleared out aside from the three couples; Jess looked at her watch before quickly tossing back the rest of her glass of water then motioning for Don to get up from the booth.

"We're going to miss the movie if we don't leave now" she reminded him as she lightly urged him out of the booth.

"Yes master" Don huffed teasingly as he slid out of the booth and held out his hand for her to take.

"See ya guys" Don offered to the rest of the table while Jess offered a simple smile and a wave before they took their leave from the diner.

"What do you say Montana? You ready to get out of here too?" Danny asked and Lindsay nodded hesitantly.

"I have so much homework" she mentioned while rolling her eyes.

"Well come on, we can have a study date" Danny smirked and she rolled her eyes again before letting out a small laugh.

"Something tells me studying will be the last thing on _your_ mind" she teased while shaking her head and pushing him out of the booth.

"She knows me too well" Danny offers with a shrug towards Stella and Mac. Stella. Like Lindsay, Stella was quick to roll her eyes while Mac and Danny exchanged smirks.

"Goodnight you guys" Lindsay called out while giggling as Danny all but dragged her out of the diner by her hand.

"So..." Mac began, looking over to Stella.

"So..." she offered back, shifting nervously in her seat.

"Can I uh, walk you home?"

"I'd like that" she confessed with a warm smile.

Mac stood up from the table and offered his hand to Stella who graciously accepted. As she stood up from the booth he slipped his hand out of hers and wrapped it around her waist instead, keeping her close as they headed out into the cool autumn air and darkened streets.

Along the way back to her dorm Stella had filled Mac in on the few details about her conversation with Don before they changed the subject to lighter topics such as school and this weekend's upcoming football game.

Before they knew it, they were standing outside Stella's dorm room and Stella began nervously fidgeting with her key in her hands, not really wanting Mac to leave just yet.

"Well... goodnight" Mac offered weakly, finally bringing his gaze from his feet back up to her eyes.

"Goodnight" she smiled as they both stood still, fixed in time.

Finally letting out a nervous chuckle Mac leaned in and kissed Stella softly and briefly on her warm lips; but as he pulled back and noticed the expression in her eyes, begging him not to go he leaned into her once more, this time more forcefully as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed her into the door.

"Wait" Stella managed as she lightly pushed him away.

"Stella, I'm sorry, I..." Mac tried to apologize but Stella pushed a finger to his lips to silence him.

"I was just going to say we should take this inside" she smiled at him; and although her words allowed his anxiety to ease, it also caused his heart rate to sky rocket as she pushed the door open and led him inside.

Quickly tossing his jacket aside as his young desire began to take control over his brain, Mac wrapped his arm around Stella once more as he pulled her tightly against him and began hungrily kissing her, only to have her resist him once again. Stopping immediately he stared into her eyes, searching for answers.

"What is it?" he wondered.

"I just... I don't want you to think... We're not going to..." Stella began rambling nervously, looking down at the floor and unsure even to herself what she was trying to say.

"Stella" Mac spoke softly as he tilted her head up to look him in the eyes. "Say what you want to say" he encouraged her and she offered a small smile.

"I really like you Mac, but I'm not ready to... you know" she shrugged and he nodded in understanding.

"We don't have to" he assured her, and she looked at him with a slight frown.

"I just really like kissing you" she admitted sheepishly and he smiled. "And I know that it's not fair for me to just get you all worked up and then..."

"Stella" Mac interrupted before she could finish her thought. "Don't worry about me alright? Because the last thing I would want to do is hurt you or cause you to have any regrets. Okay?" he asked and she nodded.

"You set the pace" he began again, offering her a quick kiss. "You might just have to let me go have a cold shower though afterwards" he teased in a low tone as he rested his forehead against hers and she finally laughed.

"How did I get so lucky?" she asked, stroking his cheek.

"I'm the lucky one" He countered with a slight smirk. "Now, didn't you say you liked kissing me?" he mumbled against her lips before tasting them once more.

Never breaking contact with Mac, Stella began walking backwards, guiding them towards the couch. When they reached it Mac lowered her down gently and she lied down on her side with her back against the pillows of the couch and Mac climbed in next to her as their heated make-out session continued.

It wasn't easy for Mac to control his urges but the last thing he wanted to do was to make Stella uncomfortable so he kept his hands innocently on her waist and wouldn't dare to move them unless otherwise provoked by her to do so.

Stella had been pleasantly surprised by Mac's respect for her wishes, nothing like what it was like with Frankie, she thought to herself. He didn't seem to understand the meaning of the word 'slow'. Being wrapped in Mac's warm embrace had a comforting and safe feeling to it; she knew now she could trust him; and her trust wasn't exactly the easiest thing to gain. She of course knew that Mac was always the 'gentleman' type, but never thought a guy as perfect as him existed. She had finally felt she could let her guard down; Mac Taylor really was her Prince Charming, she surmised.

"Um... Mac..." Stella lightly giggled as Mac's phone began vibrating in his pocket.

"Sorry" Mac huffed, looking at her with an apologetic frown as he pushed himself away from her slightly to reach into his pocket.

Hoping to quickly dismiss the caller and get back to what he was doing, Mac didn't even bother to look at the display before he flipped the phone open.

"Hello?" he answered but heard nothing but silence in return.

"Hello?" he tried again, this time hearing just a short breath.

"Who is this?" he questioned, just about ready to hang up the phone.

"Mac?" the all too familiar voice finally answered and Mac's once rapidly beating heart nearly came to a dead stop as the voice echoed through his head.

"Claire?" he dared to ask in astonishment as he pushed himself up into a seated position, turning his back to Stella and planting his feet on the floor.

'_Claire?_' Stella's mind instinctively raced with wonder as she noticed Mac's frame immediately tense up.

...

****Well? Oh come on, you knew it was coming ;) lol. Hmmm, hopefully I justified the cliffy by giving you guys a little bit of SMaction before hand ;)  
Let me know what you thought of this chapter by leaving a review! More to come soon!****


	11. Caught Off Guard

**CSI:NY – The College Years**

**Chapter 11 – Caught Off Guard**

**...**

"_Mac, it's so good to hear your voice again_" Claire stated with a content sigh, and Mac could almost see her smile through the phone.

Standing up from the couch Mac wandered over near the front door and paced back and forth with his hand rubbing his forehead; leaving Stella behind to simply watch in confusion.

"Why... why are you calling me?" he asked as he finally found his voice again.

"_You called me first silly"_ she playfully reminded him, and he rolled his eyes and heaved a frustrated sigh.

"Claire, I can't... I can't talk right now"

"_Mac, I know you're probably mad at me for not returning your calls but I just couldn't. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to not pick up the phone every time I saw your name come up on the display? I just wasn't ready yet, and I knew I'd fall apart the moment I heard your voice..."_ her voice trailed off in her painful confession and Mac hung his head.

"So, why are you calling me now?"

"_I don't know, I just had a really bad day and I wanted somebody to talk to and you always know how to cheer me up Mackie. Please talk to me. Just for a few minutes? I need you"_ she lightly pleaded.

"I... I can't" he stated in a dead whisper as he looked back at Stella apologetically.

"_Mac? What's wrong?"_

"Nothing's wrong"

"_Then why won't you... Wait; are you with someone right now?"_ She asked, feeling something had to be holding him back.

"What?"

"_Who is she?"_

"Who's who?"

"_Who are you with right now, the reason you can't talk to me"_

"Nobody" he answered in haste, then dropped his head in agony as he realized the effect that simple statement could make on Stella. Sure enough, it did and Stella stood up swiftly from the couch and marched past Mac down the hallway and into her bedroom.

"Stella, hang on a second" he called out just as she slammed the door shut.

"_Mac? Who's Stella?"_

"Claire, I can't do this right now, I really have to go" he stated firmly, flipping his phone shut.

He ran a hand through his hair in frustration the stared down the hallway towards Stella's room. _Do I go in? Do I turn around and walk out the door to give her space? Does she hate me? Probably. Do I deserve that? Definitely. _Mac's mind roamed in several different directions as he stood still, his eyes still transfixed on the closed door a few feet away. _She doesn't deserve this_ he thought to himself, taking a step backwards and turning to head towards the front door. His hand rested on the doorknob but he couldn't find it in him to turn it. Couldn't leave her hurt and wondering how everything managed to fall apart so quickly. She needed an explanation, he owed her at least that. Finally after taking a moment to collect himself he took a deep breath he let go of the door and headed back towards Stella's room, knocking softly before entering.

"Can I come in?" he asked quietly, although he had already pushed himself inside.

Stella's sat in silence and her shoulders remained tense as she sat perfectly still on the edge of the bed. He waited for her to say something, anything but she didn't, and the room remained silent.

"Stella?" Mac dared to call out her name softly, as he reached the bed and sat down beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She turned her gaze away from him the moment he touched her, staring at the wall on the other side of her and Mac instantly felt his heart shatter. He cursed himself for doing exactly what he vowed not to. He had hurt her.

"Stella, I'm sorry, I..."

"Who's Claire?" Stella immediately interrupted and Mac hung his head slightly.

"She's just..."

"Nobody?" she interrupted again in a bitter tone.

"I didn't mean to say that Stella. It just kind of came out, I didn't want to get into it with her, and I guess I didn't know what to say"

"So, is she your ex-girlfriend?" Stella asked in a barely audible whisper.

"Yes" Mac managed weakly.

"You still talk to her?"

"No! I mean, yes obviously she called today but..."

"When was the last time you talked to her? And don't lie to me Mac"

"I haven't actually spoken to her since before I got to New York, that's the truth"

"And what's the rest?" Stella questioned, knowing there was more to his answer.

"I called her a few times" he admitted with a heavy sigh. "But I never talked to her, so when she called me just now, she was returning my calls"

"When's the last time you called her?"

"A week or so ago" he sighed once more.

"So, what, you'd spend all morning with me and then run off to call her?"

"What? No, it wasn't like that; it's just... Complicated"

"You missed her?"

"No!" he stated in haste and she arched a brow at him.

"No?"

"Well yes, I mean, I did but... Look her and I, we went through a lot together and I was feeling kind of lost here at first, and then I met you but I didn't think..."

"That I'd find out?" Stella snapped back, interrupting him once again.

"That's not what I was going to say"

"Well Mac you don't seem to know what it is you're trying to say, so why don't you take some time by yourself to think about it, and think about what you want"

"Stella, I know what I want" Mac tried pleading as he reached for her hand but Stella quickly folded her arms across her chest and went back to staring at the wall.

"Stella..."

"Just go Mac, I can't talk to you right now. I just want to be left alone" she whispered, and Mac stood up, deciding that maybe it was best that he let her be; at least for now.

"I'll uh... I'll call you later okay?" he managed weakly, bending down to kiss the top of her head. As suspected, he got no reaction from Stella which really just made him feel worse. He'd rather her yell and scream and throw things at him, anything but dead silence. _What have you done Mac _he cursed himself as he took his leave from her room.

...

Feeling completely lost Mac wandered the dark streets of the campus for hours, replaying the evenings events over and over in his head. _Why didn't I just hang up the moment I heard her voice?_ He had asked himself over and over. He was certain Claire's phone call had been made in a moment of weakness, much like his last call had been and if he had allowed them to carry out a real conversation they both would've probably ended up regretting it sooner or later. There was no future for their relationship, he had finally accepted that and was more than ready and willing to start building for a new future with Stella. True, they hadn't known each other long and have only been together for a couple days but if he was being honest with himself, he knew he had begun falling for her the day they met.

Mac's phone began ringing in his pocket once again, breaking him from his thoughts and he pulled it out and glanced at the display 'Incoming call: Claire'. His thumb hovered over the answer button but he couldn't bring himself to press it; not tonight anyway. Instead, his thumb shifted to the right as he pressed down. 'Call ignored' was now displayed and he sighed heavily as he pressed redial once again; hoping this time Stella might answer.

"_Hi, this is Stella. Leave a message!"_

He rolled his eyes as the voicemail box picked up once again.

"Stella, please pick up the phone. I know I've left you like 10 messages already and frankly, I don't care because I'm not going to stop until you answer. I know what I did was profoundly stupid and I don't deserve to talk to you right now but please, just give me another chance? Please? Call me back." And with another heavy sigh he closed his phone once again and continued on his walk in no particular direction.

...

Jessica and Don had stumbled through the front door of her dorm as they remained tangled in each others arms during the 'goodnight kiss' that had quickly escalated and took them from the hallway and inside the dorm. Once inside Don twisted her around until she was pressed against the front door and he began trailing kisses down her neck and onto her collarbone; causing Jess to giggle at his aggressive advances.

"Wait a second..." she whispered, pushing him off her slightly.

"What?" Don's curiosity had been peaked as he turned to look over his shoulder to see what had caught her eye.

"That's Mac's jacket" she pointed towards the team jacket that had been tossed on the floor earlier. "And that's Stella's..." she pointed to the other jacket a few feet away, also carelessly tossed on the floor.

Looking around the room it was starting to become more and more evident that they weren't the first ones to become a little 'frisky' this evening as they also noticed the couch pillows disarranged and the coffee table slightly out of place. Jess bit her lower lip to keep from giggling again as she looked over to Don who frowned in response.

"Oh come on, Stella's a big girl" she chided him, slapping him lightly on the shoulder.

"I know but... Not exactly what I wanted to walk into. That's one mental image I don't need" he scoffed.

"Do you think they're still..."

"Jess!" Don quickly interrupted.

"Sorry" she laughed. "Maybe I should just let her know we're here"

"Please do" Don huffed.

"Stella..." Jess called out as she wandered near Stella's bedroom, noticing the door was cracked open.

"Come in" Stella whispered and Jess nodded towards Don.

Jess pushed the door open, Don following closely behind; and instantly frowned as she saw Stella sitting on the bed, almost a mirror image to what she had looked like a few weeks ago when she was beating herself up over Frankie.

"Stella, what's wrong? Where's Mac?"

"I don't know" Stella shrugged. "Check my voicemail, I'm sure it's on one of the 13 messages he left me"

"He left his jacket here? What happened that you chased him out of here so fast?"

"Maybe I was too harsh on him" Stella lamented with a soft sigh, playing with her cell phone in her hands and trying to convince herself to just call him back. "I mean he did apologize profusely, and I know he was caught in an awkward situation and maybe I jumped all over him a little too quickly" she frowned and Jess grew more confused.

"What are you talking about? What happened?"

"More like _who _happened" Stella countered.

"Okay, who then?" Jess became more curious.

"His ex-girlfriend" Stella huffed, rolling her eyes.

"Claire?" Don immediately questioned without giving it a second thought, quickly garnering a glare from Stella and a wondering glance from Jess.

"You knew about her?" Stella asked, her emotions now shifting from remorse to anger and betrayal.

"Um..." Don hesitated nervously, eyes darting around the room to avoid Stella's stare.

"Did you know he was calling her?" She asked abruptly and Don hung his head, knowing he wasn't getting out of this one without giving up a few answers.

"Look, you should ask Mac about this..."

"I did, and now I'm asking you" Stella insisted.

"Don, answer her" Jess chimed in.

"Well, yeah, I mean he told me about her but..."

"What did he tell you?"

"I don't know..." Don paced nervously in front of them.

"Don!"

"I don't know Stella, they dated for like forever, and she ended it before school started because of the distance thing and..." he stopped himself before getting his friend into any more trouble.

"And?" Stella pressed on and Don heaved a frustrated sigh.

"What do you want me to say Stella? You want me to tell you that he was broken up about it and was calling her because he missed her?" Don practically shouted and Jess and Stella fell silent.

"I'm sorry Stell," Don began again in a much softer tone; "but if it makes any difference to you I haven't heard any mention of her since the night of the party after our first game; after he first met you I might add; and so I didn't bring it up because I assumed it was all over with and you were so happy when you told me about you and Mac and... Stella, I'm sorry"

"Who else knows?" Stella asked in a dead whisper; not sure why it mattered to her but she knew it did.

"I don't know, Danny I think. Probably Adam?" he shrugged.

"Oh great, so half the campus probably knew except for his own girlfriend?" she huffed, throwing her hands up in the air.

"Seriously Don, I can't believe you wouldn't you tell her" Jess added, along with a stern glare.

"Okay don't you two think you're over reacting? Maybe being a little dramatic?" _Wrong move Flack_; he instantly cursed himself as his words were rewarded with bone chilling stares from both women. "Right, I think I'm just going to uh... go... now. Let you guys talk..."

"I think that's a good idea" Jess returned; rolling her eyes before focussing back on Stella.

Don; with his head hanging; slowly wandered back to the front door, stopping to pick up Mac's jacket along the way.

...

Mac paced back and forth at the front steps to his dorm building, emotions too revved up to go inside just yet, knowing his anxious pacing would just annoy his roommate and neighbour in the floor below. He pulled out his phone one last time, promising to himself this would be the last time; however he was once again rewarded with nothing but the voicemail message.

"Damn it" he cursed as he ended the call and shoved his phone back into his pocket.

"Don't bother, I don't think she'll be picking up that phone anytime soon, and some of that might be my fault" Don mentioned as he neared Mac.

"Don" Mac turned towards him in surprise. "What are you doing out here?"

"Peace offering?" Don asked as he held Mac's jacket out.

"Thanks" Mac nodded, taking the jacket and throwing it on. "So, I take it you've talked to Stella"

"I have..."

"So, you here to lay a beating on me then, 'cause trust me even I think I deserve it" Mac frowned.

"Not exactly" Don sighed. "Not only is my sister and your girlfriend not talking to you, but she's not talking to me either, and I'm pretty sure I can expect the same from Jessica until you and Stella get this sorted out. So for both our sakes, you gotta work this out Mac. What happened? This Claire; you're not still..."

"No, Don I'm not" Mac quickly defended himself. "She just called me out of the blue and I panicked and said the wrong thing"

"You and me both brother" Don huffed. "Why do they even let us talk under pressure like that? They know we're just going to say something stupid" he added with a slight smirk and Mac chuckled.

"Ugh, what am I going to do..." Mac sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "I gotta get her back Don. I'm done chasing the illusion of Claire, I want to be with Stella; that's the honest truth"

"Hey, I'm not the one you need to convince" Don piped up and Mac frowned.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence"

"Sorry Mac" Don sighed, noting the remorse in Mac's expression. "I can tell you care a lot about my sister, so do us both a favour and get her back alright?"

"How?"

"You'll think of something" Don assured him, landing his hand on Mac's shoulder and offering a squeeze. "Now, if you'll excuse me I have some grovelling of my own to do"

"Hey Don" Mac called out as Don had turned to leave.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks" Mac offered with a nod.

"Don't thank me, I'm sure I did more harm than good; least I could do was bring you your jacket. Good luck Mac, see you at practice tomorrow"

As Don headed back towards the street Mac finally turned back to his dorm and went inside; fearing he wouldn't be able to get any sleep, but feeling the need to at least try anyway. Crawling into his bed he closed his eyes in hopes that he could fall asleep and when he got up tomorrow morning he would make his run over to Stella's place and she might be on the steps waiting for him. He doubted it, very much, but hope was just about the only thing he had left to hang on to.

"Please forgive me Stella" he mumbled into the pillow before allowing the realm of sleep to finally take over his exhausted mind and body.

...

****Well, what did you think of the return of Claire? Think Stella can forgive Mac? And Don? Please send a review and let me know your thoughts!****

**  
P.S. I mean no disrespect to Claire's character, and some of you might disagree about her and Mac breaking up but the whole purpose of her in this story was because I wanted Mac to still have the 'wounded heart syndrome' as he does in the show because I think it's part of what makes Mac... well, Mac. But I didn't want her to die, so instead just moved her halfway across the country ;)  
And besides, you knew getting into this that it was a SMacked story, so hopefully you're not dissapointed with the Claire aspect. But in hindsight, maybe I should've gone with Peyton? lol. Anyway, I've gone on long enough. Stay tuned for more! Don't give up yet SMacked fans ;)**


	12. Two Can Play At That Game

**CSI: New York – The College Years**

**Chapter 12 – Two Can Play At That Game**

**A/N: I'm so sorry, I know this update is 2 days late! Eek! Been a hectic week, I apologize.**

...

Don had begun walking back towards Jess & Stella's dorm; pulling out his cell phone along the way to send Jess a text to let her know that he was coming back.

'_Jess, I can't go home knowing you're mad at me. I'm on my way over, please let me in? *insert irresistible puppy dog pout here* –Don'_

He sighed heavily as he hit the send button; hoping she'd get the message and at least let him talk to her and try to explain; hopefully doing a better job this time then he had done earlier. They have had their share of arguments before but they had always made sure that they wouldn't go to bed still angry at each other, so with that in mind Don knew he had to see her. Stella; on the other hand was a little more stubborn and when she needed her space, well, Don was smart enough to give it to her.

...

"That's Don" Jess lightly huffed as she put down her phone; a smirk trying to tug at her lips but she wouldn't allow it. "He won't go home until he talks to me"

"It's fine Jess" Stella assured her with a small smile. "I don't expect you to be mad at Don; hell I don't even think I'm really mad at him it's just... I don't know, too much came at me all at once"

"I know" Jess frowned, reaching for Stella's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Do you think I'm over reacting?" Stella asked weakly.

"I think that you've dealt with more than your fair share of trust issues, and even though I'm sure Mac would've never meant to hurt you, I understand why it does hurt"

"That doesn't answer my question"

"I can't answer that question for you Stell" Jess shrugged. "But if Mac cares as much about you as I think he does; he's not taking it lightly either and I'm sure he's going to find a way to make it up to you"

"Ugh, I think I'm doomed" Stella sighed; allowing herself to fall back onto the bed. "Love really has it in for me. Can't anything ever just go right for me just once?"

"Love?" Jess perked up and Stella brought herself up slightly, resting on her elbows.

"What?"

"You said love"

"No I didn't" she quickly shook her head.

"Yes you did" Jess exclaimed, slapping Stella's knee. "You love Mac?"

"Little premature for that don't you think? Somebody's been watching a little too much daytime television" Stella countered and Jess laughed.

"You're the one who said it..."

"Well, you know what I meant" Stella sighed. "I knew he was too perfect" she mentioned in sorrow as she shook her head.

"Stella, are you really giving up on him?"

"I don't know what I'm doing" she groaned as she rubbed her forehead with her hand. "I think I just need to get some sleep. Will you tell Don I'm sorry for snapping at him earlier?"

"Sure" Jess nodded. "Breakfast in the morning?"

"Maybe" Stella shrugged.

"Well, goodnight"

"Night"

Jess stood up from the bed and headed out of Stella's room, closing the door behind her and walked back into the main living room just as a soft knock came to her door and she hurried to answer it.

"Don" she greeted him cordially with a polite nod while she tried in vain to downplay the smile that was creeping onto her lips as she watched him; leaning against the doorframe with his bottom lip sticking out and giving her his famous 'puppy dog eyes' that no one could possibly resist.

"Stop it" she scolded him, slapping his arm. "It's very difficult to be mad at you when you look like that you know"

"I know, it's my secret weapon" he smirked and she rolled her eyes as she stepped away from the door, allowing him to come inside.

He made his way over to the couch and sat down, expecting Jess to join him, instead she stopped in front of him, folded her arms across her chest and began tapping her foot on the floor.

"Well..."

"Well what?" Don wondered and she shook her head.

"Well, do you have an explanation for yourself? Don't think you can just come over here and show that cute face of yours and all is forgiven"

"This cute face?" Don asked, forcing his eyes to droop downwards and bottom lip to lightly quiver; not unlike how a small child looks right before tears are threatening to fall.

"I hate you" she moaned, finally dropping her arms down in defeat and easing herself onto his lap and he was quick to wrap his arms around her.

"I'm sorry" he whispered into her ear, then planted a kiss just below it on her neck.

"I know" she frowned, laying her head down on his shoulder.

"It honestly never crossed my mind to bring it up; I mean, it was weeks ago when he told me about her and I just thought a lot has happened since then, and I haven't heard him mention her since and..." his voice trailed off as he shook his head. "I don't know babe. I'm sorry, I guess I just wasn't thinking" he finished with a heavy sigh as he sunk further back into the couch.

"I know, you would've never kept something like this from Stella if you thought it was still going on"

"It's not, trust me. I already asked Mac myself. He swears up and down that it's over, he was just kind of shocked when she called. Didn't know how to handle it"

"Yeah, he doesn't really seem the 'player' type; able to juggle two women at once" Jess lightly laughed and Don nodded.

"No, trust me he's pretty torn up about it right now"

"Think they'll work things out?" Jess wondered and Don shrugged with uncertainty.

"Well, we both know how stubborn Stella can be" Don offered with a slight frown.

"Hmmm, true..."

"Speaking of which, is Stella still mad at me?"

"I don't even think Stella knows who she's mad with at this point" Jess rightfully surmised.

"Should I go talk to her?"

"No, she said she was going to sleep. Wanted me to apologize to you though"

"She didn't have to..."

"I know, you don't deserve it" Jess smirked and Don frowned.

"Hey now" he moaned with mocked hurt. "Now I think _you_ owe _me_ an apology" he playfully demanded as he poked her softly in her side.

"And what if I don't want to give you one?" She challenged and he grinned.

"Then you'll have to think of another way to make it up to me" he countered before quickly looping one arm underneath her knees and the other around her waist and scooping her up as he stood up from the couch and carried her down the hallway; Jess giggling and squirming in his grasp along the way.

...

Morning came far too soon for Mac as he spent most of the night tossing and turning while his mind replayed his own actions from last night. By the time the alarm clock had gone off beside him he figured he maybe had gotten about an hour worth of sleep in the last 7 hours he had been lying there. He wanted nothing more but to stay in bed all day long but he knew that wasn't an option. Not only did he have a class later this morning as well as a football practice in the afternoon, but he knew he couldn't miss the opportunity to see Stella in case by some miracle she would actually be waiting for him this morning. So with that very small glimmer of hope still dancing around his tired brain he finally pushed himself out of bed and quickly changed into his running clothes.

He jogged through the deserted campus towards Stella's dorm; his weary and tired mind failing to come up with much of anything more in the way of an apology than he had already offered the night before and his exhausted body didn't want to run any further but he pushed on regardless. Finally rounding the corner to the front entrance of Stella's dorm building he came to a stop and hung his head. She wasn't here; wasn't waiting for him like she had been every day for the last number of weeks.

"Damn it" he cursed himself as he paced the front steps. In the back of his mind he had a pretty good feeling she wouldn't be here, but was secretly hoping that was just his own insecurities getting the better of him and that things weren't as bad as he thought. But then again, maybe they were; he began wondering.

'_Just go inside and see her Mac'_ his brain insisted. _'What've you got to lose? Nothing. She's everything to you'_

Finally he headed inside the dorm, stopping to pace once again outside of Stella's door as his own inner monologue argued with itself on whether or not he should be here. Before he had a chance to offer a knock his pacing came to an abrupt end when the door swung open, revealing Don throwing his jacket on and ready to walk out the door.

"Mac!" Don stated in surprise.

"Oh, Don, hey. Um, is Stella here?" he asked hopefully, but Don frowned and shook his head, immediately squashing any hope Mac had left.

"Sorry man, I woke up this morning and her and Jess were gone. Maybe they had an early class?"

"Or maybe she's avoiding me" Mac countered, offering a heavy sigh at the end.

"You don't know that for certain" Don tried to offer some comfort. "Anyway, sorry but I gotta run, have to get home and change then I got a class to get to, but I'll see you at practice alright?"

"Alright" Mac nodded slightly.

He followed Don back out of the dorm building and onto the sidewalk where they parted ways; Don heading towards his car and Mac continuing on his run.

Mac hadn't gotten very far before he noticed Adam a few yards ahead, walking towards him. Mac slowed down and eventually stopped as Adam approached.

"Adam, what are you doing out here?" Mac wondered, as it was quite a distance from their dorm room and given the direction Adam was headed in he must be on his way home, but there was no way he could've had a class already this morning.

"I uh... I didn't come home last night" Adam smirked, his eyes squinting slightly as the morning sun pierced into his eyes.

"Kendall?" Mac questioned, although he could already tell from the look on Adam's face that that's exactly where he came from.

"Yep" Adam nodded enthusiastically. "I was actually helping her study for her mid-term but it got really late and I was tired so she let me stay over... Well, let me sleep on the floor in her room" he finished with a small laugh, and Mac couldn't help but let out a light chuckle as well as he shook his head.

"Well, guess that's a start" Mac shrugged.

"Yeah, are you kidding me? The only other time I've slept in a girl's room was my cousin Shelly. It was Christmas Eve and my dad got drunk and forgot me there. And Shelly snored Mac" Adam whined. "Like a lot!" he rolled his eyes and Mac shook his head with laughter once again.

"Hey, what are you doing right now, you want to get a coffee, or breakfast or something?" Mac asked casually; not really wanting to spend any more time alone with his tormenting thoughts.

"Uh yeah sure... As long as I don't have to run there"

"No, let's walk" Mac nodded in agreement.

As the two headed towards the diner a few minutes away Adam talked Mac's ear off about his evening with Kendall and Mac was happy to listen; the more Adam talked, the less he thought about Stella and his mistakes he had made with her.

Unfortunately for Mac, being able to not think about Stella didn't last too long. The moment he and Adam stepped into the diner she was the first thing he'd noticed; sitting in the back corner of the diner with Jessica.

"Hey isn't that Stella and Jessica?" Adam immediately mentioned as he too noticed them. "We should go say hi" he stated with a bright smile which quickly turned into a confused frown when Mac put his arm out in front of Adam to stop him.

"Mac?"

"Maybe we should just grab our coffee to go" he mumbled, lightly pushing Adam towards the counter.

"But I thought... I thought you and Stella were pretty tight; no?"

"To be honest Adam, I don't know what we are. Now can we just get a coffee and get out of here" he huffed and Adam just shook his head.

"Just two coffees, to go I guess" Adam grumbled towards the waitress.

...

"Hey, Mac's here!" Jess exclaimed as she saw Adam and Mac make their way inside the diner. "Are you going to say hello?"

Stella twisted her head around slightly to see the front entrance just as Mac was holding Adam back from coming towards them.

"Apparently he doesn't want to see me" she mentioned in sorrow, turning back to face Jess.

"Maybe he just wants to give you some space?" Jess shrugged and Stella rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, either that or he thinks I'm a total head case and wants nothing to do with me" she huffed, staring back into her coffee mug.

"What? Why would you think that?"

"Well let's see, we were dating all of two days and I pulled the infamous 'jealous of the ex-girlfriend' card on him and threw him out"

"Hey, you had every right to be upset about that" Jess mentioned softly and Stella shook her head.

"You weren't there Jess, I jumped all over him, barely let him get two words in. He tried to explain and I practically bit his head off. I don't know, I was just scared that it was Frankie all over again..." her voice trailed off as her eyes began glistening with fresh tears.

"Yeah but Stell, you know Mac isn't like that..."

"Exactly!" Stella exclaimed. "Unfortunately I wasn't thinking all that clearly last night, and I jumped to conclusions; regardless if what he did was wrong. And you're right, he's not like Frankie; he's not going to come over here and make a big scene and beg me for my forgiveness"

"So why don't _you_ go and talk to _him_?"

"I can't" she quickly shook her head. "I don't think I could take the rejection right now"

"You don't know he's going to reject you Stella" she tried to reason. "Don told me he talked to Mac last night and Mac was really upset about what happened"

"Well, don't you think if he wanted to talk to me he'd come over here?"

"Who knows, maybe he's just as stubborn as you!" Jess countered before hanging her head slightly. "I'm sorry Stell; I didn't mean that the way it sounded" she stated remorsefully.

"Well it doesn't matter now because it looks like they're leaving"

...

As the young waitress handed Adam the two coffees he shoved one towards Mac then stormed out of the diner, stopping at the front entrance until Mac finally caught up and offered a look of confusion.

"What's wrong with you?" Mac immediately wondered.

"No, it's not about me anymore Mac. Every time something is going on with you you turn it around and make it about me. You know things about me that I've never told anyone but the second something is happening to you you shut me out. Well it's about time you let me in and tell me just what the hell that was about in there" Adam snapped and Mac was fixed in a state of shock as a new side of Adam was revealed.

"Now tell me what's going on with you and Stella" he insisted once more and Mac finally let out a heavy sigh before going into his explanation.

"I screwed up Adam" Mac began, shaking his head. He continued to tell Adam the rest of the story, starting from the night at the concert and ending with the fight he and Stella had last night and Adam listened intently; never interrupting as he wanted to make sure he got the whole story.

"Okay, so...?"

"So, what?" Mac asked with a questioning glance.

"So you're just going to give up now?" Adam scoffed in disbelief.

"Look Adam, I must've called her 10 times last night, I think she's made it pretty clear that she doesn't want to talk to me" he snapped back.

"So she was upset last night, maybe she wants to work things out now"

"Yeah well if that was the case, why didn't she come and talk to me just now? Or wait for me this morning like she used to"

"Maybe because she's just as thick headed as you" Adam threw back at him.

"Yeah well that would be the best case scenario" Mac huffed.

"Come on Mac..."

"Look Adam, I get that you're trying to help" Mac began again in a much softer tone. "But you don't understand, I hurt her and betrayed her trust and... damn it! I'm no better than that neanderthal ex of hers. She'll probably never forgive me and I can't say I blame her"

"Mac..."

"Can we just drop it please? The ball is in her court now, if she won't talk to me then there's nothing more I can do" he stated in sorrow as he hung his head and rubbed his forehead with his free hand.

"I'm sorry Mac" Adam offered weakly as he noted Macs defeated posture. "Maybe she just needs more time, I'm sure she'll come around"

"I don't know, but I hope you're right" he sighed heavily as he finally looked back up to Adam. "Let's get out of here, I have to go home and change and get to class" he lightly huffed, turning to head back towards the dorms with Adam following closely behind.

...

****Okay, time for a chapter break. Sorry, no happily ever after for SMacked (**_**yet**_**) but stay tuned for more! Up next is the football game as well as another famous 'after party'. So what's in store for Mac and Stella? Will they finally get past their stubbornness and re-connect? Who will make the first move towards reconciliation? Well, you'll have to wait and see** **

**Also, if you're a fellow SMacked fan, be sure to check out my other multi-chapter story entitled "Family Ties". It's been kind of flying under the radar and needs some love and reviews, so head on over to my profile and check it out! ;)**


	13. Opportunity Knocks

**CSI: New York – The College Years**

**Chapter 13 – Opportunity Knocks**

**A/N: Sorry, I know it's been a while since I've updated, but tons of stuff going on, with the holidays and all. So, I do apologize!**

**...**

The air was cool during the afternoon football practice but Coach Hammerback made sure his players kept plenty warm; running drills over and over again until they got them right. He stood at the sidelines, his trademark silver whistle around his neck and what seemed to be a permanent frown on his face as he watched several attempts at the same play that continued to fail.

"We'll run it all night until we get it right!" he bellowed towards the field as he brought his glasses back up to his nose and started flipping through notes on his clipboard and making a few changes to the offensive line.

"Deacon, go ahead and take over for Taylor. Show him how it's done will ya?" the coach huffed to the second string quarter back who hasn't seen anything but the bench so far this season.

"Sure thing coach" the young man nodded enthusiastically as he ran out to the centre of the field to relieve Mac from his duty as quarterback.

"Hey Mac, check it out" Danny began as he noticed the other quarterback jogging towards them. "Looks like you're getting pulled" he continued as he nodded his head towards Deacon.

"Damn it" Mac cursed as he ripped his helmet off and headed slowly towards the sidelines.

Marching straight passed the coach Mac carelessly tossed his helmet to the ground and muttered another curse under his breath as he made his way to the bench and slumped down in defeat. He stayed put, watching the rest of the practice from the sidelines, as he knew he wasn't allowed to leave practice early; regardless if he was playing or not.

From the moment Mac had woken up this morning Stella had been the one and only thing on his mind and no matter what he tried to do he couldn't stop thinking about her. What she was doing, what she was thinking, if she would ever forgive him. The more he thought about it however, the more anxious he became of the whole situation and therefore the more reluctant he came to do anything about changing it. He thought he could just put it to the back of his mind and carry on without giving it a second thought; but he couldn't. Every time he closed his eyes he saw her face, heard her voice, and remembered those few tears she had shed because of him.

He continued to tell himself that there was no use in dwelling on something he was sure it was too late to change; but it didn't seem to help any. So, he sat there; pretending to focus on the practice going on in front of him instead of the torment that was going on inside his mind and heart.

As he heard the final blow of the coach's whistle and the team began heading back inside Mac got up from the bench and turned to head inside; only to be stopped a short moment later by a hand reaching out to grab his arm.

"You want to tell me just what's going through your head today Taylor?" The coach huffed in a low tone so that it was heard only by Mac.

"Coach I..." he began with a heavy sigh; then shook his head before continuing. "Just tired I guess... Sorry. Won't happen again" he quickly recovered.

"You're sure there's nothing else?" Coach questioned, not at all convinced with Mac's answer. "Anything you want to talk about?"

"I'm sure" Mac nodded firmly. "Thanks for the concern but I'm fine" he stated with mocked sincerity before taking his leave from the coach and following the others inside.

"Look, all I know is that Mac's gotta get his head out of the clouds and back in the game if he wants to see anything other than the bench tomorrow" Danny told Don in a hushed tone; unaware that Mac had just caught up to them in the locker room.

"I'll be fine Danny" Mac stated firmly as he approached them.

"Mac... hey I didn't uh... Sorry man" he frowned, shaking his head slightly.

"No, it's okay" Mac assured him with a tight smile. "I let you guys down today, but that's not going to happen again. Just... didn't get enough sleep last night"

"You sure? Is everything alright Mac?" Danny questioned and Mac quickly rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I'm fine alright!" Mac groaned as he tossed his helmet inside his locker. "I wish everyone would stop asking me that" he huffed once more as he slammed the locker door shut and stormed out; leaving a slightly shocked Danny behind.

"What the hell is the matter with him?" Danny questioned out loud, not really expecting an answer.

"Just, take it easy on him, alright?" Don added calmly.

"Do you know what's up with him?"

"Danny, just let it go" Don stated firmly before closing his locker as well and heading towards the shower room.

"Geez, is there something in the water in this place today?" Danny huffed and shook his head before going back to his task of removing his equipment.

* * *

"Adam!" Kendall exclaimed in happy surprise as she swung open the door to her dorm and found Adam standing in the hallway.

"Hey" he greeted her with a warm smile as he took a step closer and kissed her cheek.

"You are too cute" she beamed and his face reddened slightly.

"Cute?" he asked weakly and she smirked.

"Sorry, I mean rugged and handsome and manly" she corrected, letting out a slight giggle and he shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"You know you could at least _try_ to say it with a straight face"

"Awww, my poor wittle Adam" she teased, poking his sides.

"You think your funny?" he playfully challenged as he captured her wrists and brought her arms up, placing them around his neck and wrapping his own arms around her waist.

"You..." she tried to begin a sentence but Adam quickly silenced her with a firm kiss. Slightly shocked at first, she hesitated for a brief moment before her lips responded in kind with his; returning the passion he offered her.

"Wow..." she gasped, slightly out of breath as they finally broke apart. "Now that was more like the greeting I was waiting for" she smirked and he let out a small chuckle.

"Yeah, sorry that took me so long"

"You've kissed me before..."

"Well, not like that..."

"No, not like that" she grinned, biting her lower lip. "But I think I could get used to it..."

"Good" he nodded. "Now, I know there was a reason I came here... I mean, other than that... But thanks to you I can't remember"

"Thanks to me? You started it!" She laughed as she lightly shoved his shoulder.

"Oh right, I remember now. Can I come in?"

"Of course" she smiled as she stepped to the side and allowed him to enter.

"So... what's going on?" She wondered as they took a seat on the small sofa in the living room.

"It's Mac and Stella" he stated glumly and Kendall looked at him in wonder.

"What happened?"

"Beats me" Adam huffed, throwing his hands up in the air. "Something happened and now they're not even speaking to each other. Mac is like a vault; and about as stubborn as a mule"

"Great" Kendall grimaced and now it was Adam who offered the confused look.

"What?"

"Well I'm pretty sure if you looked up 'stubborn' in the dictionary Stella's picture is next to it"

"Oh, fantastic..." he groaned. "I was hoping you could get her to talk, at least find out what happened, and maybe we could help..."

"What did you have in mind" she queried.

"Well, I know whatever it is Mac isn't over her. He's walking around the dorm looking like someone just ran over his dog. I think if we could just get them together somehow, maybe they could talk things out, you know?"

"Well, there's a game tomorrow; maybe if we were all together at the after party they might loosen up a bit and actually talk to each other?"

"Yeah, but good luck getting either of them to go" Adam huffed, shaking his head.

"Well, we'll just have to round up the troops"

"The what?"

"You get Danny and Don to help you convince Mac to go, and Jess Lindsay and I will work on winning Stella over"

"Easier said than done though right?"

"Well, unless you want to spend the next four years living with _'Debbie Downer'_ there, you better get to work" she teased and he let out a small laugh.

"Alright, I hope this works..."

Soon afterwards Adam took his leave from Kendall's and headed over to Danny's dorm to explain the situation with him and Kendall was already on the phone with Jess the moment Adam had left her room.

* * *

"Mac, what are you doing!" Adam huffed as he entered Mac's bedroom early Saturday afternoon; shocked to find him lying in bed with the pillow over his head.

"What?" Mac groaned from under the pillow.

"Uh, you have a game in like an hour... Shouldn't you be at the field already?"

"Damn it!" Mac cursed as he threw off the covers and jumped out of the bed. He reached down to the floor and picked up a pair of jeans and threw them on quickly, practically hopping out of his room to pull them all the way on as he hurried towards the bathroom.

"How long have I been asleep?" Mac called out before leaning over the bathroom sink to splash some water onto his face.

"I don't know I just got home" Adam shrugged; standing at the doorway.

"Coach is going to kill me" Mac huffed, throwing a hoodie over his head and shoving his feet into his shoes.

"Mac, I was hoping that..."

"Adam, I'm late I have to go!" Mac quickly interrupted before swinging the front door open in haste and slamming it shut behind him.

"O-kay..." Adam grunted with a heavy sigh. "So much for my end of the plan..." he muttered to himself as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialled Kendall's number.

"_Hey, how'd it go?"_ she asked hopefully.

"Not so great..."

"_Didn't go for your plan?"_

"Well, he didn't even hear it out. I got back here too late and he had to leave"

"_Hmmm, well according to Jess Stella has no intentions of leaving her bed any time soon either" _

"We suck at this..." Adam groaned.

"_Don't give up so easy, we'll just have to try again after the game... You'll be there right?"_

"Do you honestly think I'd miss out on seeing you in that cheerleader uniform?"

"_Well, I would hope not" _she teased; and even just hearing her voice caused his face to instantly redden. _"Wait for me after the game?"_

"Of course. See you soon" he promised with a smile as he hung up the phone.

* * *

"Taylor, how nice of you to grace us with your presence" the coach groaned as Mac hurried to the sidelines to catch up with the others.

"Sorry Coach I..."

"Save it" he huffed, shaking his head. "Deacon, you'll be starting today" he mentioned, nodding his head towards the other quarterback who's mouth was now hanging open.

Mac shot a stern glare towards the coach but before he had a chance to open his mouth to protest Don was at his side and placed a hand on his chest pushing him backwards.

"Don't do it Mac" he stated quietly. "Just show him that you can stay cool and keep your head on straight and he'll put you back in, alright?"

"Mac?" Don questioned again when Mac didn't respond.

"Alright, fine" he eventually huffed.

"Warm-ups boys, let's go!" The coaches voice boomed and the team; Mac included; quickly hurried onto the field.

As their warm-up exercises continued and the stadium started filling up with fans, Mac constantly found his gaze wandering to look for Stella in her usual seat, but every time he would see Lindsay sitting alone and it only further cemented his fears that he had lost Stella for good.

Within no time at all the game had gotten underway as Mac watched from the sidelines; his eyes constantly darting between the field and the crowd; however as time passed it was becoming more and more clear that he wasn't going to be rewarded with seeing Stella watching them as she had every other game so far this season.

By the time half-time had come around they were trailing by 14 points to a team that they; under normal circumstances; should be able to beat in their sleep. So as the others made their way to the locker room to regroup and take a rest Mac wandered the hallways until he spotted Coach Hammerback in his office.

"Coach?" Mac called out softly, standing at the door way.

"Come on in" he sighed heavily. "What is it?"

"I uh, I came to apologize" he stated with a frown. "I let you down, and more importantly I let the team down and I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. That's all..." his voice trailed off as he shook his head and turned to leave.

"Hold on a minute Taylor" Coach piped up, forcing Mac to turn back towards him. "Aren't you going to beg me to put you back in?"

"No Sir" Mac stated weakly. "I know I messed up, and it's your team so if you..."

"That's where you're wrong" Coach quickly interrupted. "It's your team, Captain. Now get out there and lead them"

"Really?" Mac asked in surprise.

"Do you want me to change my mind?" the coach challenged and Mac quickly shook his head.

"Thank you" he offered in haste before taking his leave from the office and sprinting down the hallway to catch up with the rest of the team in the locker room.

...

With the second half well underway and a new found fire lit underneath the team they quickly retook the lead as they played flawlessly through the remaining minutes of the game; Mac making sure his head was back where it belonged, focussing on the game. As the final buzzer rang signalling that time was out the crowd roared as they stood to their feet, proudly cheering another N.Y.U. victory.

While most of the team lingered on the field a while longer; celebrating amongst each other; Mac took the opportunity to have a moment to himself before his overly rowdy teammates returned to the locker room.

He reached his locker and pulled out his cell phone; carefully studying its display before finally gathering the courage to dial Stella's number.

"Please pick up" he mumbled as the phone continued to ring.

"_Hi, this is Stella. Leave a message"_

He opened his mouth to try to confess once more his deepest apologies but before he had a chance to speak one word the team quickly herded into the locker room and Mac immediately flipped the phone shut before tossing it back inside his locker.

"Everything alright?" Danny questioned as he neared Mac.

"Fine" Mac mentioned absently before tossing his equipment into the locker and headed towards the showers.

Danny watched Mac as he took his leave, then grabbed for his own phone to quickly dial Adam.

"_Danny?"_

"Yeah Adam, it's me. Listen, did you talk Mac into coming out tonight?"

"_No man, no luck... What do we do now?"_

"We move to plan B..." Danny mentioned with a small grin forming on his lips.

"_What's plan B?"_ Adam immediately wondered.

"Brute force" Danny lightly chuckled before flipping his phone shut and gathering up a couple other players to rally in his new 'plan'.

A few minutes later the guys were showered and dressed, ready to head out for the night. Mac tried to slip out quietly without Danny or Don noticing but before he reached the door another player stepped in his way.

"Big Mac!" he greeted him enthusiastically. "Where you goin man? You're coming out with us tonight!"

"Actually Josh I have..."

"Hey!" Josh shouted over the crowded locker room and everyone turned towards them. "Do you guys believe this? I think our boy Mac has other plans tonight..."

"It's not that" Mac tried to protest. "I just..."

"Well good then, 'cause you're coming with us" Josh interrupted. "Celebrate with your team _Captain_" he smirked as two other players came up from behind Mac and hoisted him onto their shoulders.

"Guys, hold on a second..." Mac tried but the chanting and cheering of his energetic teammates drowned out all of his protesting as they carried him out of the building.

"Well, that was easy enough" Danny smirked as he watched them leave.

* * *

Stella lazily wandered back to her bedroom, fresh from her long shower, and slumped back down on her bed. She laid there still for a moment with her eyes closed until she heard a small 'beep' noise coming from her bedside table. She quickly sat up and reached for her phone, her heart wrenching once more as she read the alert display _"One Missed Call: Mac"_

She frowned as she noted the time, it was nearly half an hour ago. "Damn it" she cursed herself for not being there to answer it. Her thumb hovered over the 'call' button but before she could bring herself to press it, an incoming text popped up on the small screen.

'_Stella; I know I said I wouldn't beg you to come out to the party tonight, but, this is me begging. PLEASE??? Come on, get out of bed and come be with your friends! -Jess'_

'_Is Mac there?'_ Stella quickly responded.

'_Probably somewhere around here... Looking around for you no doubt, now get over here!'_

A small smile instantly appeared as Stella read Jessica's last message and she decided to finally call Mac. However, when she was rewarded with nothing but empty rings her mood dropped once again.

"Maybe I'm too late" she falsely reasoned as she tossed the phone back onto the night stand.

* * *

"You're the one behind all this weren't you?" Mac mentioned as he walked up to Danny in the crowded and noisy living room; unaware that his phone had begun ringing inside the pocket of his jacket.

"No idea what you're talking about..." Danny shrugged with a smug grin playing on his lips. "Oh come on Mac, loosen up" he teased, slapping him on his shoulder.

"Is uh... you haven't seen Stella anywhere have you?"

"Not yet, sorry man"

"Thanks anyway" Mac mumbled before heading out of the living room and upstairs to use the washroom.

As he reached the top of the stairs and noticed the bathroom door shut he wandered over to the hallway window that lead to the rooftop as he waited for the washroom to be unoccupied. He watched out the window as hard pellets of rain began showering throughout the darkened sky; adding even further fuel to his already miserable mood.

Lost in his own thoughts as he stared outside, remembering every detail of the night he and Stella had spent out there, he didn't even hear the bathroom door open or notice the small figure coming towards him in the dimly lit hallway.

"Mac?" the vaguely familiar voice called out softly.

"Yeah?" he mumbled absently, eyes still fixed out the window.

"Do you remember me?" She asked hopefully as she placed her hand on his arm and slid it up the sleeve of his jacket until it rested on his shoulder.

This finally caused Mac to turn towards her as he first stared at the hand on his shoulder, then to the young woman it belonged to.

"Um... Stacey, was it?" he asked and she nodded with a bright smile.

"What are you doing up here all alone?" she asked flirtatiously as her hand slid from his shoulder to his chest.

"Just... nothing" he eventually sighed.

"Oh... well, would you like some company?" she whispered softly as she stood on the tips of her toes so that her lips brushed against his ear.

"No" he replied in haste as he pulled back and removed her hand from his chest. "I mean, uh, no, thank you. Excuse me" he stated as he stepped past her and headed back towards the stairs.

"You have some place better to be?" she scoffed as she folded her arms across her chest and watched him walk away.

"Actually, I do" he told her firmly as he hurried down the stairs and out the front door.

"Unbelievable" she huffed in disbelief.

* * *

Stella sat in miserable silence in her bed with her arms wrapped around her knees as she watched the beads of rain fall against the window pain.

"I'm so sorry Mac" she whispered into the empty room; her eyes now producing fresh tears.

A moment later her text message alert went off and she pulled herself from her light stupor as she anxiously reached for the phone; hoping it might be Mac.

'_Hey, I thought you were coming? Do I have to get Don to drag you here himself? – Jess'_

'_Sorry Jess, I can't'_

'_Is it Mac?'_

'_He won't answer my calls Jess. What if I blew it for good?'_

'_Won't know for sure until you talk to him right? Why don't you come down here and find him and ask him yourself?'_

'_I'm sorry Jess, not tonight okay? Besides, I'm a total mess right now. And anyway, a crowded party isn't exactly the place for a heartfelt confession of feelings...'_

'_I guess... Do you want me to come home and at least keep you company? We can sit in front of the t.v. with a gallon of chocolate ice cream and watch old movies?'_

'_No, think I'll just get some rest. But thanks for the offer, I might take you up on that some time soon. Go and have fun now, I'll talk to you later'_

After flipping her phone shut and tossing it aside, she reached across the bed to the small c.d. player and skipped through the tracks until she found the song she was looking for and hit the "repeat" button. Soon the soft music began flooding through the otherwise silent dorm and she laid back against the headboard and shut her eyes as she began remember the last time she had heard the song.

_What if I never let you down  
and said I'm sorry for the nights I can't remember.  
What if I never said to you I would try  
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah._

_And I do, wanna love you  
(see me running back) And I do, wanna try.  
Because if falling for you girl is crazy,  
then I'm going out of my mind.  
So hold back your tears this time._

A loud knock at her front door jolted her from her daze and she quickly wiped a few tears away before crawling out of bed and heading towards the door.

"Don, I told Jess I was sleeping" she called out with a hint of frustration in her tone as she reached the front door. But when she pulled the door open her eyes widened as she saw the last person she expected it to be waiting on the other side.

"Mac!" she gasped, with a small lump forming in her throat as she looked him over; he was slightly out of breath, his normally warm and inviting blue eyes were now filled with uncertainty, and his entire body was dripping wet from getting caught in the storm outside. "What are you doing here?"

...

****Well, are you ready for a SMacked reunion? I should hope so ;) Stay tuned for the next chapter to find out what they have to say to each other****

**Review perhaps? ;)**


	14. Confessions

**CSI: New York – The College Years**

**Chapter 14 – Confessions**

**A/N: This is dedicated to my dear AiP; thanks for all the support in moving this story along. I really appreciate it! This next part is for you ;)**

**...**

"Can I come inside?" he asked hesitantly, and his words finally snapped her out of her initial state of shock.

"Oh my God Mac, you're soaked! What did you do, run here in the rain?" she asked, half jokingly but Mac quickly nodded in response.

"Yes... I had to see you"

"Oh... Um, here, come in. I'll get you a towel" she lightly stammered as she pulled him inside by his arm. He slid his jacket off and threw it over the coat rack as she disappeared down the hallway; returning a brief moment later with a fresh towel in hand.

"Gosh Mac, it's practically a hurricane out there and you were out in this? Are you crazy?" she muttered as she walked towards him, reaching out to pass him the towel.

"Yes, crazy for you. I already told you that" he confessed in a low tone, pushing the towel away.

"Mac, I..."

"Just, please, let me finish Stella. I have to say this, okay?" he asked and she nodded for him to continue.

"I know what I said the other night was phenomenally stupid; and that I should've told you about Claire sooner, but you have to know that I never meant to hurt you. I guess it wasn't as easy to adapt to the change of moving here as I thought it would be, and Claire is... I don't know, I guess it's just kind of like habit you know? Something from the past that I thought I needed to hold onto. Everything around me changed so fast and my old life was disappearing faster than I think I was ready for. But when you and I started spending more time together I actually felt myself ready and wanting to leave everything else behind. Then that night at the club, Stella, that was one of the most amazing nights of my life and... Well, to be honest I think I was scared"

"Scared of what?" she asked softly and he hung his head for a moment before bringing his gaze back up to meet hers.

"Of falling in love" he confessed and Stella's gaze dropped from him to the floor as she fidgeted nervously with her fingers.

"Stella, I'm sorry. I know you're still angry with me and you have every right to be. I don't expect you to just..." he starts only to have Stella quickly throw her arms around him and silence him with a deep kiss.

Shocked at first, Mac hesitates for a brief moment but then responds in kind to the passion she's offered him by cupping her face with his hands and crushing her lips with his. Her hands grip the back of his head, grasping at any hair she can hold on to in an effort to keep him as close as possible as the heated kiss continues.

When the need for oxygen overwhelms them, their lips regrettably part and Mac pulls her against his chest in a warm embrace; his strong hands gripping around her waist and her head resting on his shoulder.

"Stella, I am so sorry" he mentions once more in a low whisper and she nods her head against his shoulder.

"Mac, I should be the one apologizing" she murmurs and he leans back slightly and tilts her chin up to look at him.

"What on earth do you have to be sorry for?"

"Because I was just as scared as you, and I pushed you away because I was so afraid of opening myself up and being hurt again that I didn't even give you a fair chance. Mac, I've never felt about anyone the way I feel about you and I guess I didn't think I was ready for that either..."

"Yeah, but Stella I..."

"You made a mistake" she interrupts him before he's able to torment himself any further. "And so did I, and now..."

"Now what?" he wonders and she smiles.

"Now we work it out together. Right?"

"Really? You want that?" he has to wonder and she smirks.

"Why, do you want to try to convince me otherwise?"

"No" he scoffs, then smiles as he reaches down and holds her hands in his. "I want this; you; us"

"Me too Mac" she smiles and his heart warms.

"I uh... I guess I should take that towel now huh?" he mentions sheepishly as he glances down at the small puddles of water now pooling on the floor, then at Stella who's shirt is also wet from being pressed against him earlier.

She flashes him a curious grin then stands on the tips of her toes and leans in so her lips brush his ear. "I have a better idea" she whispers, causing a warm tingle to pass down his spine.

Before he has a chance to respond he feels her fingertips dancing around the hem of the back of his t-shirt and she begins pulling it upwards and finally tugs it over his head, freeing his upper body of the soaking wet fabric. She drops the shirt to the floor and stares into his fiery blue eyes for a brief moment then takes a step back and removes her own shirt, dropping it to the floor next to his. Mac can only simply stare in awe at the beautiful woman before him, as his brain fails to send any words to his mouth. She flashes him a timid smile before taking a step closer, placing a hand on his face and guiding his lips to hers as she begins crushing them with all she has to offer. As the kiss deepens Mac feels his entire body instantly stiffen as his desire and need for her grows more intense with every passing second.

"Mmmm, Mac..." she lightly moans, and not sure how much more of this he can take; he regrettably pushes her back gently and she looks up at him in wonder.

"Mac?"

"Stella, if you... I mean, if we keep... I don't know how much longer I will be able to control myself" he admits and the corner of her mouth curls upwards into a shy grin.

"Do you honestly think I have _any_ self control left with you standing in front of me dripping wet? Was kind of counting on you losing control Mac..."

"Oh thank God" he blurts out before crushing her lips once more; and this time when he hears her call his name again he gently scoops her up into his arms and carries her down the hallway towards her bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him once they get inside.

* * *

"Hey, you guys seen Mac anywhere?" Adam asks the small group of friends still left at the party as he enters the main living room with a smiling Kendall latched on his arm.

"I haven't seen him in... Since we first got here actually, come to think of it" Don shrugs.

"Probably snuck out to go home and sulk the moment our backs were turned" Adam lightly huffs, shaking his head. "I wish there was something we could do..."

"Do you happen to have a large or heavy object?" Don mentions and Adam looks at him in confusion.

"What?"

"To beat them both over the head with" Don quips and Adam can't help but laugh, then shrug his shoulders in agreement.

"Maybe large _and_ heavy, just to be sure" Adam finishes with a smirk.

"Well, I don't know about you guys but I'm ready to get out of here" Danny mentioned as he stood up from the couch and turned back towards Lindsay, holding his hands out to help her up.

"Yeah, actually Adam and I were just leaving, right Hun?" Kendall asked, nudging Adam in his side and shooting him a quick wink.

"Uh... yeah. Um, goodnight guys" Adam mentioned with a sheepish grin, then took Kendall by the hand and lead her outside.

"You ready to go babe?" Don asked Jess, poking her in her side and causing her to squirm in his lap.

"Are you kidding me?" she asked aloud, then leaned into him to whisper the rest in his ear "I've been waiting to get you home since the second half of the game started"

"O-kayyy, parties over. Goodnight everyone" Don stated in haste as he jumped up from his seat and practically dragged Jessica towards the door; Jess giggling uncontrollably along the way.

"They are so cute" Lindsay beamed as she watched Jess and Don's playful interaction.

"I don't know, I'd say we could give them a run for their money" Danny murmured before leaning his head down teasing her lips with a quick but tender kiss.

As they pulled apart Lindsay smiled brightly as she brought her arms around his neck and clasped her hands together. "Yeah, I mean after all, we're 'Puppy and Montana'. Who's cuter than us?" she giggled.

"I told you to stop calling me that already" Danny playfully warned before tickling her sides and causing her to erupt with laughter.

"Danny....stop... please... stop" she pleaded as her eyes began watering from laughing so hard.

"I'll stop when you do" Danny countered, not yet releasing her from his tickling assault.

"Okay, okay" Lindsay gasped. "No more 'Puppy' I promise"

"See, was that so hard?" Danny questioned, immediately stopping his actions.

"You're gonna get it tonight mister" Lindsay playfully warned him and Danny shrugged.

"Was counting on that" he smirked and she lightly swatted his arm.

"Down boy" she teased and he hung his head. "Now come on and take me home, and if you're good maybe I'll let you come up" she smirked and Danny's head popped back up in an instant, a wide grin displayed across his face.

"I'll be good, I promise" he mentioned as they headed for the front door.

* * *

Stella awoke later than usual the next morning and as she carefully stretched under the warm blanket she reached across to the other side and immediately forced her eyelids open when she felt nothing there but cold sheets.

"Mac?" she mumbled, still half asleep as she started glancing around the room.

"Was I... Did I dream all that?" She forced herself to wonder. "Probably" she huffed to herself. "Something that amazing only happens in a dream"

And with that final huff into the empty room she grabbed the pillow beside her and covered her face with it as she began muttering Greek curse words into the pillowcase.

"I'll just go ahead and assume that's Greek for 'good morning'" a voice began flooding into the room and Stella immediately shot up in the bed and looked to the doorway to see Mac standing there, leaning against the door frame with two steaming coffee mugs held in his hands.

"Mac... um, yeah, something like that" she grinned sheepishly as she scooted over in the bed and gestured for him to sit down.

"Coffee?" he asked, handing her one of the mugs and she smiled.

"Thank you"

Mac set both mugs down on the small night stand then eased himself down onto the bed, lying on his side and keeping himself propped up on his elbow. He ran his hand through Stella's hair, tucking a few stray strands behind her ear then kissed the tip of her nose.

"Last night was..."

"Amazing" Stella finished his thought and he nodded.

"Well, that might even be an understatement, but we'll go with amazing for now" Mac murmured as he leaned into her once more kissed her softly. Stella's warm lips slowly parted, allowing Mac's tongue entry and she let out a soft moan. Mac responded by gently easing her body down and resting his hand on her stomach; his mouth hungrily devouring hers, and his body pressing hers further into the soft mattress.

"Okay sleepy-head, time to get... Oh my!" Jessica gasped as she swung the door to Stella's room open; prompting Mac to pull up from Stella and whip his head around towards the door.

"Jess!" Stella stammered as she quickly sat up in the bed. "I um... We... Uh, good morning..."

"Good morning Stella... _Mac_..." She greeted them with a teasing tone.

"Morning Jessica" Mac muttered sheepishly.

"I guess I'll let you to get back to... Um... Right, I'll just see you guys after" Jess giggled before quietly closing the door then scampering back to her own bedroom.

* * *

"Guess what!" Jess exclaimed in an attempt to whisper as she bounced onto the bed, shaking Don's shoulder in anticipation like a kid on Christmas morning.

"What?" Don immediately shot up, throwing the covers off. "What's wrong, did something happen?" he asked, his feet already planted firmly on the floor.

"Oh something happened alright" Jess grinned and Don turned back to her with a wondering glance.

"Well? What is it?"

"Well, I'll spare you the details, but let's just say I found out where Mac got to last night"

"Wh... Ohhhhh...." Don slowly nodded in understanding. "Um yeah, no details for me thanks" he grimaced and Jess threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.

"Aren't you happy?" She wondered as she pulled back slightly.

"If Stella's happy, then yes. But there are certain things that a brother... Well, let's just say denial is bliss, okay?"

"Fine, party pooper" Jess teased, lightly swatting his arm. "Come on, let's get dressed and we can all go out for breakfast"

* * *

"Slight problem here..." Mac frowned, standing in Stella's bedroom.

"Looks perfect to me" Stella mentioned softly as she came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist and planted a kiss on his smooth back.

"No, not me..." he scoffed bashfully. "My jeans are dry cause I draped them over the chair last night before we went to bed, but I found my shirt curled up into a soaking wet ball by the front door earlier when I made the coffee"

"Hmmm..." Stella frowned. "Oh, I'll just ask Don, he always keeps some spare clothes in Jess' room" she stated triumphantly as she headed towards her bedroom door, only to have Mac gently grab her arm and force her back around.

"Uh wait... Are you sure, I mean..."

"Please" Stella laughed as she rolled her eyes. "If you think Jess wasn't already in their shouting from the rooftops about what she walked in on a couple minutes ago you're sadly mistaken"

"Oh great" Mac sighed.

"Relax" she soothed as she ran her fingers through his short dark hair. "Trust me, it's not like Don's going to want to talk about it, or even bring it up for that matter" she lightly laughed.

"Yeah I guess you're right" he shrugged. "Do you want to ask him for a shirt then?"

"I don't know..." Stella smirked; pausing for a moment to run a finger down his muscular arm. "Kinda like you like this..."

"Very funny"

"Oh fine" she sighed with defeat. "Be right back..." she assured him as she kissed him once more then disappeared into the hallway in search of Don.

Mac smiled as he watched her take her leave from the bedroom, then reached into the pocket of his jeans, pulling his cell phone out to send a quick text.

'_Adam, thanks for putting up with me the last couple days, I know I've been a complete ass. You up for some breakfast? Thought you and Kendall might wanna join us... – Mac'_

'_Us???'_ Adam's reply came almost immediately and Mac grinned.

'_Yes,Us'_ he confirmed as he hit the send button.

'_Mac, congrats! And breakfast sounds great. Kendall just shrieked like she just met a Jonas Brother or something, so I think it's safe to say we're happy for you two. See you soon'_

Mac chuckled and shook his head as he read Adam's last message then sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for Stella to return with a shirt.

"Pink's your favourite colour right?" Stella asked with a grin as she poked back inside the bedroom with her hands behind her back.

"Very funny" Mac grimaced.

"Oh you're no fun" Stella laughed as she threw the black t-shirt at him. "Put it on, we're going out for breakfast with Don and Jess"

"Oh..."

"What? Mac, I told you, you don't have to worry"

"No, it's not that, I just invited Adam and Kendall to breakfast that's all..."

"Oh, okay, well no big deal, but now we'll have to get Danny and Lindsay in on this too since we invited everyone else"

"Whole gang back together again huh?" Mac asked with a smile as pulled Stella down into his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Yes we are" she confirmed with a sigh of content. "I'm so happy Mac" she gushed, looking at him with a bright smile.

"Me too" he confessed, kissing her one last time before they had to finish getting ready to finally start their day.

...

**Okay SMacked fans, hope the make-up made up for all the angst between Mac & Stella in these last couple chapters! If so, then I've done my job ;)**

**Anyway, to be perfectly honest, I really hadn't planned out much of anything for this story beyond this point, but given all the reviews and alerts I've been getting for it I feel somewhat obliged to keep working on this, so here's my thought; maybe just put this story on a short 'hiatus' while I come up with some new material? I'm thinking a vacation for the group during their Winter break from school? How does that sound? Let me know in a review if you want more, or if there's any storyline in particular you'd like to see play out, I might just try and accomplish that for you.**

**Anyway, thanks again to all who read, reviewed, subscribed, etc. It really does mean a lot. It may be a little while before this is updated again, but if you want more, you got it ;)**

**PS – If you haven't already, fellow SMacked fans should look up my other multi-chapter fic called "Family Ties" its Reed and Mac with lots of established SMacked! Hope you check it out :)**


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